The Ricochet
by Eternal-Explosionist
Summary: sequel to The Girl Who Can't Be Moved. The thing about history is that it tends to repeat itself. You can't ignore or forget the past.You can't push it down or bury it. Right when you think you're in the clear, the past sinks it's hooks into you and drags you back under again. Bridgette Smith is no exception to the rule. The truth's going to come out whether she wants it to or not.
1. Chapter 1

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter One**

Life was strange after the battle of Midtown. Sure, people resumed their daily activities Returned to their jobs and habits There were plenty of those who helped with the clean up, Bridgette and Steve included. She wore her nonprescription glasses while Steve pulled the hood of a sweatshirt over his head. They blended easily enough. Captain America and Ricochet had disappeared with the Avengers, now they were only civilians helping out to restore the city to its former status. Though there was a brief instant where a young boy pulled on her pant leg, requesting her ear. So, she bent down and he whispered to her,

_ "Are you a superhero?"_ Stunned that he could identify her while in her usual disguise it took her an extra moment to gather her wits and smile at the boy, a sneaky grin.

_ "Don't tell anyone, okay?" _His eyes rounded as he gaped up at her. So, she gave a wave and returned to helping out Steve with a ruined building.

Tony Stark had donated a substantial amount of money and powered a workforce to help rebuild the city as well, which was of course generous of him since he was a main contributor to the destruction in the name of justice. He answered questions, had press conferences, becoming almost the face of the Avengers, the one willing to speak to the public. No one else wanted to compromise their home life.

Though she never did see Bruce. Not out in the streets. Not with the clean up crews. Not on television during Stark's many press conferences. She wondered if he was still staying with Tony at Stark Tower, maybe helping them create some fancy new technological device. The two geniuses saving the world with science. The idea made her smile. Smiling didn't come as easily as before, like it did when she was with the team. She found the reason easily enough.

She missed them.

The master assassins, the self-centered billionaire, the living legend, the demi god, and the man with breath taking anger management issues. Luck favored her, she did see Steve on a fairly regular basis as he stopped by her little cafe' shop that she worked at. He was doing his best to get out into the world and she supposed seeing a familiar face made the shift easier on him. She didn't mind at all, it was nice to see him. Not to mention that it got the girls she worked with in a tizzy every time he came inside, ready to swoon. He still made her heart flutter with her life long crush for the first hero which may never fade, but her mind was constantly distracted with thoughts of a mild manner doctor and his violent green alter ego.

Yes. She missed the Hulk too.

* * *

Living at Stark Tower was something else entirely. Dr. Banner had access to equipment he never even dreamed of touching, let alone working with whenever he felt like it. The building was under reconstruction as well, since it had been a primary battleground and launch site for the Tesseract. Bruce took refuge in one of the lower laboratories so to be out of the way for the workmen. He didn't want any stranger interaction that wasn't necessary just in case.

Just in case the other guy showed up. Since being with the Avengers, he had Hulk'd out multiple times. Once during his first encounter with Bridgette. Twice for the attack on the SHIELD helicarrier. Third and final time, he _willingly _shifted into the rage monster for the Chitaurian attack. Far too many times. He could feel the Hulk inside of him become restless every now and again, itching to be released. The other guy shouldn't be entitled to that luxury, his will should be controlled. Maybe he could just will the other guy away. Then he would just stay suppressed and away, locked up in some part of his mind. Could that be possible?

"Now you're just daydreaming, Banner," he chided himself. "It's not just anger. It's heart rate and emotional levels..." There was a swoosh as the lab door slid open, revealing the Tony Stark. He was flipping through some type of clipboard as he walked inside.

"Speaking of heart rate and emotional levels," he began, giving away that he heard the doctor's muttered ramblings. The genius hopped on the table, lowering the clipboard. "When are you going to go see the kid?"

Bridgette. Bruce lowered his gaze, returning to his task of fiddling with the gadget Stark Industries was having functional issues with. Tony rolled his eyes and took the small tool away, tossing it (gently) onto the nearest table.

"The kid. Ricochet, more commonly known as Bridgette. Short hair, blue eyes, stubborn as hell and has the strength to back it up. And if I remember correctly, she _kissed _you after we kicked Loki off our planet," summarized Stark. "Kissed you, as in, she came back for you and instigated the novel sensation. Tell me when I'm ringing a bell."

"I know who you mean, Tony," answered Bruce. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, drawing a breath.

The successful man gave him an exasperated look. "Then why in the hell haven't you contacted her?"

"How do you know I haven't contacted her?" he asked, brow furrowed. "Maybe I've been texting her all this time?"

"But you haven't. Jarvis and I have already cross checked all of your communications. The only people you've been in contact are those you see in person. Which by the way, is only me and Pepper. But mostly me. Though I'm well aware that my personality surpasses those of regular people." Tony hopped off the table and set the clipboard down, tired of hauling it around. If he carried it for much longer he'd look like he was actually working. And he couldn't have that.

"While your concern is nice-"

"Not really concern. More like interest."

"Either way, I appreciate it," sighed Banner, "but it's unnecessary."

"Unnecessary how?" asked Stark. "Because we've been having fun poking at your romantic life, haven't we Jarvis?"

"Sir, this is only your opinion. You've designed me to agree with your side of the argument," responded the computer butler.

"I didn't design you to argue with me."

"Actually sir, I believe you did." Tony rolled his eyes, pulling a computer screen over so to show the doctor her picture. Her profile picture looked back at Banner and his pulse picked up at the sight.

Short russet hair cut below her chin, bangs covered her forehead while glinting blue eyes looked out at him from the screen. The picture didn't smile like she usually did. Her expression wasn't blank, more like she was studying the person who took her picture. A look of focus. In the photo she was wearing her dark rimmed glasses with a square frame. It was apart of her disguise, as to why she needed one was still unknown to him.

"So why haven't you spoken to her? You two were cute together," asked Tony, turning the screen back to him, fingertips flipping through the digital pages of her file. Pages that were available anyway. He hadn't yet broke the confidentiality of her full file yet.

Banner gave a short laugh, glancing over at his friend. "Cute together? Maybe you forgot, but I tried to kill her-well, the other guy did. That doesn't exactly make for a healthy relationship last I checked." Stark looked over at his fellow scientist who was busy trying to find something else to occupy his focus. Anything to keep the attention spotlight off him. Tony wasn't one to pick up on social cues.

"You've seen the footage?"

The footage that included pieces of the battle for Manhattan Physical of proof of him going Hulk, big and green and smashing anything that got in his way. It also included Bridgette fighting alongside him, working together even.

Bruce paused for a moment before giving a reluctant answer. "Yes. I have."

"So what's the big deal?"

He sighed heavily, placing his hands flat to the table. Irritation levels were rising slightly and he could feel the other guy stirring, begging for a conflict. Wanting him to accept the provoking Tony provided. Wanting him to "Hulk out". Especially since they were talking about Bridgette, it seemed as if the other guy had a special interest. Her name, her image started his original stirring. Bruce took another breath. He was afraid of this. Of becoming fond of someone. It looked like the Hulk was taking away another chance from him. The other guy just wanted her for himself.

"He won't let me just be with someone, Tony," he tried to explain. "It doesn't work like that." Tony walked over to his friend's side, concern showing through his arrogant facade.

"Then tell me how it works. I'm rather intelligent, so I can keep up," he promised. Again, Bruce gave a soft laugh at the attempt at humor.

"Even I don't fully understand it."

* * *

Bridgette carried the tray of drinks easily as she wove her way through the dining room. She found the couple's booth and delivered their beverages, smiling and chatting as they were regulars. The uniform was the black pencil skirt, white blouse and black tights. Now that she thought back on it, that was what she was wearing when she was approached by SHIELD and encountered Dr. Banner. Her heels clacked against the tile floor as she walked back to the kitchen, ready to pick up the next order. A younger waitress, relatively new to the shop, stopped her in passing.

"Hey, do you think he's coming today?" she asked quietly. Bridgette quirked a brow, feigning ignorance. The older girl was an intelligent individual, with or without her genetic enhancements. She knew the blonde employee meant the Captain. The young girl nearly fainted when she took his order last time.

"Is who coming today?" she asked. The girl, named Beth, blushed at the question.

"Your friend," she whispered. Bingo.

"You mean Steve?" supplied Bridgette, filling her tray with the ordered dishes. "Blonde hair, tall, doesn't typically smile all that much?" Beth nodded, clutching her empty tray to her body.

"D-do you mind if I wait his table? I-if that's alright with you, I mean, with him being your boyfriend and all. I just thought it would be good practice i-in keeping my composure and all..." she rambled. Bridgette nodded as she adjusted the messy plates, lousy kitchen help.

"Sure, feel free. It's no problem-Wait. What do you mean my boyfriend?" she asked, catching onto her words a moment late. Beth regarded her strangely, tucking her pen behind her ear.

"He's your boyfriend isn't he? I mean, he acts like it, doesn't he?"

The Avenger was stunned at the assumption. Sure, Steve was the only Avenger she really had constant contact with. They met up rather frequently. He came to her cafe' to eat on a regular basis. They talked and laughed, and had a fun time in each other's company. She would help him with any problems the modern day world provided for him (i.e. The microwave is not a bomb, for future reference). He would give her a ride on his motorbike to work every now and then. Her number was one of the few installed in his phone to "speed dial" (which was another day of explanation) as well as her own. Maybe his hand found her shoulder every now and again if they were at the theater or offered his jacket if it was chilly outside. And of course there was her undying childhood crush on the hero but that would never be realized. Things like that just didn't happen for her.

_Was _he becoming her boyfriend?

What about Bruce? The quiet doctor that she loved to tease and harass The one who turned into a rage monster that would listen to her. Talk with her. Hell, she even kissed him! Kissed him and he hadn't contacted her since. She didn't have his number and sure, she could've gone directly to Stark Tower but she had been so busy with the city clean up and work, she hardly had any free time to breathe. Surely he could contact her if he wanted to, he had Tony Stark on his side after all. Maybe he just..._didn't _want to contact her? She had come on too strong too fast, simple as that. Way to go, Smith. Way. To. Go.

Both girls yelped as Bridgette's cell phone began to ring out loudly. Which was strange because she always set her phone to vibrate when she was at work. Always. Setting down her tray, she fished out her phone as quickly as possible to avoid attracting a manager's attention. Flipping it open, her screen was bearing a bright green screen with black font spelling out two words.

She gasped and yanked off her apron, tossing it over a swinging door. Grabbing her bag, she swung it across her body as she made sure she had everything.

"Beth can you tell them I had to go? It's a family emergency," she lied. The girl nodded, wide eyed. Bridgette thanked her and left the shop, taking off running down the street. Lucky for her, Stark Tower wasn't all that far away. The message was burned into her mind as she hurried, not nearly as fast in heels as she would be bare foot.

_** Code Green.**_

* * *

**REVIEW! It's a little short but I had to get the ball rolling somehow! Well, I hope you readers have as much fun with this as you did with **_**The Girl Who Can't Be Moved**_**!**

***Edit: I did correct Grace's name to Beth. Because I'm dumb that's why.**

**Enjoy!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Two**

She sprinted down the street, weaving through the throngs of the general public. Why did everyone decided to move at a snail's pace when she needed to be somewhere? Huffing, she put on an extra burst of speed, hoping her heels could stand it, she just bought them a week ago. How far along was the Hulk? Had completely taken over Bruce? Would she get there before destruction would follow him?

"Stop thinking and just _run_, Smith," she cursed at herself. Her bag bounced against her as she moved, her specialized tool shifted to the size of a flashlight so to fit comfortably and to be on hand as needed.

Stark Tower was soon before her and the doors automatically opened when she neared. She skidded to a stop inside, unsure of where to go next. If she thought Stark Tower was enormous when it came to scaling it like she had in the fight, the inside was twice as bad. There were multiple doors, glass panels that allowed a person to look into a lab, stairs, elevators all made with high end material. Bridgette didn't know if she ran into Stark Tower or _Billionaire Today _magazine.

"_At the end of the hall, lab on the left, Miss Smith_," came a voice over some type of PA system, startling the girl. She nodded and followed the instruction. The end of the hallway came quickly enough and her heels skidded as she came to an abrupt halt, finding the door. The door opened automatically and she dive rolled into the lab, prepped with her weapon. Her hair whipped as she looked about quickly, trying to locate a giant green Hulk which truthfully, shouldn't be all that difficult.

The room was clean, sterile and in proper shape as it should be for such a high functioning facility. Dr. Banner regarded her oddly, very much surprised by her enterance. He removed his glasses as she slowly rose to her feet, out of her previous roll-and-attack position. She shoved her glasses onto the top of her head as well, bothersome as they weren't needed.

"Bruce?"

"Bridgette?"

She moved to his side of the table where he left the gadget alone, forgotten. Blue eyes studied him intently, leaning in toward him. His pulse picked up noticably, heart pounding with her so close.

"Bridgette, um, wh-what're you doing here? Not that it isn't nice to see you or-or anything but, um, why?" he stammered. Her head inclined to the side, confused.

"How come you're not big and green?" she asked in return. "I mean, it's a relief and all, but why send the alert if you weren't Hulking out?"

"What alert?" he asked. Her weapon clattered against the table as she fished around her bag, pulling out her phone which she opened with a flip.

"This alert." She turned her phone over to him and he saw the bright screen reading **Code Green**. He shrugged his shoulders as he returned her cellular device.

"Well, I'm not big and green so I don't know how or why you got this," answered the doctor. There was a short pause of silence before they shared a look.

"Tony," they chorused. Bridgette spotted the small security cameras and stormed over to it.

"Tony Stark, you brat!" she accused, pointing her finger at the lense. "You know how many people I plowed over to get here?"

"Nice to see you too, kid. Now stop yelling at my security," said Stark as he entered the lab with flourish. He tossed a small snack into his mouth, nonchalant. Both Banner and Smith gave him a look that clearly stated that they wanted an explanation. Bruce with his stern gaze and Bridgette with her hands on her hips.

"What?" asked Stark lifting his arms in defensive. "I was testing a theory."

"A theory?" repeated Bruce, raising a brow. "What kind of theory would that be exactly?"

"A theory of response," the genius answered calmly. "How fast it would take the Bridgette variable to react to the dangerous Bruce variable, which did result in a speedy reaction as I had assumed. I bet you had to ditch work didn't you?"

Bruce looked over at the girl who blushed under the attention and how Tony's guess hit its mark. She had left work? For him? He noticed that she was wearing make up, something subtle but enough to draw focus to her eyes. She was wearing the same outfit when he had first encountered her as well. A uniform?

"You left work?" asked Bruce, folding his arms. The girl reacted defensively at once.

"Of course I did!" she yelped. "I didn't know what was going on! I-if you were hurt or mad, or if you two were being attacked here at the tower! I didn't know that you would call me like that because you were bored!" Tony put a finger to his ear to block out some of her volume, cringing.

"Doctor, if you would kindly kiss your girlfriend and shut her up I would be much obliged."

"G-girlfriend?" choked the doctor. Both Avengers blushed under the accusation and Tony gave a wave as he left, mission accomplished.

"Stay awhile, kid."

The door slid close behind the philanthropist, leaving the two alone. Silence was long and awkward, the two just standing at each others side, not moving. Bruce could feel his heart pounding in his chest, and the other guy was starting to get fidgety, wanting to stretch. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a breath to settle the pulse. He had to calm down.

"So...what're you working on?" Bridgette broke the silence like she usually did, walking back to the work table and eyeing the small metal device. Bruce cleared his throat loudly, putting his glasses back on as he walked to her side of the table. He couldn't help but give a little smile. He had missed her being nosy around the lab like she had aboard the helicarrier. Snooping around, standing near him because she wasn't afraid, filling the air with chatter. It was nice to have her back.

"Um, well, it seems to be a new type of specialized weapon that Stark Industries is developing, but they have, well, been running into some difficulty," he explained, picking up the small thing. It fit comfortably in the palm of his hand, small, rounded. Bridgette leaned in closer, curious. Banner had to take an extra pause to settle his heart rate again. Now would not be an ideal time to Hulk out.

"Really? I thought you were more...science-y. Like chemistry and biology. You're an engineer too?" she asked. Blue eyes looked up at him and he avoided eye contact quickly, turning the item over in his hand instead.

"No, I'm no engineer," he laughed. "But this device has a type of chemical agent inside that should release on contact and they haven't been able to successfully mass produce them due to a chronological failure to launch. The chemical won't break free of the bond, so Tony asked if I could take a look at it, to see if it was maybe a fault with the chemical strength."

"All right. Impressive," nodded the girl, smiling up at him. "Dr. Banner knows all."

He laughed again, slightly embarressed and little proud with her praise. "Thanks, but not quite-"

_ "Ring ring, this is your phone...Hey! You gonna answer the phone?"_ called out her bag. Bridgette swore softly as she rummaged through her bag to find her sassy phone. _"Answer. The. Phone. Answer the phone for cryin' out loud!"_

"Rather...opinionated ringtone?" commented Bruce. She laughed, finally finding it.

"Right? I need a sassy phone so I can find it in this mess," she answered. The phone flipped open and she put it to her ear.

"Hello?" she greeted. Bruce watched her take a pace, hand finding her hip as she listened to the other person.

"Hey Steve...Oh no, I'm alright. It was Tony's idea of a joke..." She gave a small laugh, tugging her glasses off her head and tucking them into her bag. "I know, I know, it wasn't funny...Yeah, well you can tell him that yourself..."

He could feel the Hulk becoming irritated, or was that just him? Either way, there was the soft warmth of anger swelling within him and he took another breath to try and calm it. She was just talking to Captain America. Just talking to Steve Rogers. It was harmless. No big deal.

"Calm down, Banner," he muttered to himself. "Calm down." His chest was starting to heave slightly from his deep inhales. The other guy was feeding off the temporary lapse in irritation, provoking it further. Bruce forced his attention back to his project, taking a tool to the seam in the device. Maybe there weas an issue with the breaking point. Too strong, to the point of resisting the force that was needed to break the seal? Could that be the problem?

"Yeah. A ride home would be great. Are you sure it's not a problem?" A pause and a smile. "All right, thanks Steve."

The tool split open the seal and the green chemical gushed out onto Bruce's hand rapidly. Yes, the seal was the problem, clearly. He dropped the item onto the table and stumbled away, clutching his hand with a shout of pain. There was a clatter as Bridgette dropped her phone to the floor, spinning quickly to help the doctor. She pulled her bag off and tossed it to the side, standing close to him. He looked at her, browns eyes shifting to the tell-tale bright green and her heart pounded. Her hand slipped around his neck, tangling with some of his dark curls, pulling him closer to her. Don't change, don't change!

"Here, hold still. Stay with me, Bruce!" she tried to assure. It was too late.

The transformation was quick. His skin turned green and his muscles bulged, ripping his shirt as it burst through the seams. He grew in size so tremendously fast that she nearly got caught underfoot. The Hulk let out a roar that shook the foundation of Stark Tower. Bridgette scrambled to her feet quickly as the Hulk stomped, disoriented it seemed like.

"Bruce!" she called. Hulk flinched at her voice and turned quickly to locate the source, green fists ready. She held up her hands to show that she was unarmed. Even if she wanted to be, she had just thrown her bag to the other side of the room. Not her best move, she'll admit.

Hulk was breathing hard and closing and opening his hands. The chemical was gone now and the skin seemed all right, but there was a chance that the pain still lingered. He looked around, like an injuried animal, ready to spring into action. Taking a deep breath, she carefully approached him.

"Hey big guy," she began slowly, keeping the focus on her and not the rest of Stark Tower. "Do you remember me?"

He glanced down at her, nostrils flaring with his heavy breaths. After a moment, he nodded. "Hulk remember...Bridgette..."

She nodded, giving a smile. "That's right. Bridgette."

Bridgette took another step closer, specifically toward his hand that had been injured. Her own hands were outstretched and he tensely allowed her to tread the dangerous area that was his personal space.

"Can I look?" she asked, gesturing to his hand. She didn't want to upset him. She needed to calm him down. He hesitated, unsure at first, but after a moment of contemplating, he nodded. Taking another breath, her two hands were so small next to his single fist as she gently took his hand into her own. Her throat was dry as she worked his thick fingers open so to reveal the giant palm. Slender white digits skimmed along his green skin, looking for the remains of the chemical or even a wound in general. It seemed as if the transformation had eliminated the threat altogether. She double checked the back of his hand and returned to the calloused underside to be sure. The fingers than closed, keeping her hand in his grip which was incredibly secure if slightly painful, but it wasn't anything she couldn't take. Blue eyes looked up at him quickly, breath catching slightly. The Hulk slowly shifted into a sitting position, the lab floor tremoring under his weight.

"Are you okay?" she asked again. "Are you hurt?" His broad chest was starting to settle, no longer heaving so heavily. But why wouldn't he let go of her hand? She wasn't about to try and pull away, in case it resulted in provoking him.

"Hulk...miss Bridgette...Made Hulk..sad..." he told her slowly, deep voice traveling well throughout the lab. Her gaze softened and she gave a smile.

"I missed you too, big guy," she said.

"Made Bruce sad," he continued. "Bruce didn't...see Bridgette...for long time..."

"It's been awhile," she agreed with a nod. "We've all been busy."

He always called her by her name, no matter the grammatical tense. It singled her out, it identified her. Saying her name helped to connect the dots between the name and the person, especially when rage made everything one big blur. She was still little next to him. Little but strong. Bridgette was very strong. Fought with Hulk. Fought the bad guys and kept on fighting, even when they hurt her. That made Hulk mad.

"Bridgette...kissed Bruce..."

Her cheeks turned pink and she looked up at him with wide eyes. Embarressed. Bridgette was embarressed that Hulk knew about the kiss. Of course Hulk knew. Hulk and Bruce were the same body.

"Yes, I did kiss him," she admitted. He didn't let go of her hand, keeping her close. He leaned forward, studying her intently and she didn't back away, even if she could.

"Why?"

Bridgette was quiet for a moment. Thinking. She was thinking why she kissed Bruce. Kissed Bruce, not Hulk. Not Hulk. Hulk big, green and scary. No kiss for Hulk.

"Because I like him," she told the gamma beast. "That's why I kissed him. To show him that I liked him. And...to see if he liked me too." She could feel his grip tighten slightly, he was probably unaware of the action though her hand was starting to fall asleep.

"Hulk like Bridgette."

She smiled up at him. Hulk liked it when Bridgette smiled. Smiled at Hulk.

"I like you too, big guy."

* * *

The high tech control center was alight with computer screens that seemed to be flashing or moving in some manner. There was a screen displaying footage from the Manhatten battle and fights. Screens with the Hulk and Bridgette fighting the Chitaurians. Even more screens with close ups of the girl and her fighting, zooming in to see her face clearly. Her hair was short now and she had bangs, but it was easy to identify her. There were scans running a facial recognition to be one hundred percent certain.

"The results are in, sir," stated an agent, German accent heavy. He approached the figure at the helm, looking over the series of visual evidence. The man didn't turn around as he addressed the lower ranked agent.

"Is it her?"

"Yes sir. Tests show one hundred percent recognitions."

"And her abilities?"

"Even better than before, sir. Though it seems that she was affected by the alien attacks."

"I'm assuming that we've confiscated most of the alien weaponry to prove that theory?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

There was a moment of silence as the man pulled up two videos. One of Bridgette fighting the Chitaurians, fighting them off with the Hulk and her weapon as a way to deflect their hits. The other was of a younger Bridgette, with her long hair and a child's build. She was fighting against the darkly dressed agents, mouth opening with screams and shouts of protest, her supernatural strength beginning to show as it took a team of fully grown men to subdue her.

"Bring her to me," he instructed. "Bring me Bridgette Erskine."

"Yes, Doctor Zola."

This girl had run off with what should rightfully belong to Hydra. He refused to let her escape again with the success that should belong to his family's name. That bloody rivaling Erskine famly.

Bridgette Erskine was Hydra property.

* * *

**REVIEW! Wow! Thanks so much for the support everyone! It just blows me away how many of you are enjoying my story and it really makes me inspired to keep writing! And yes, you're all very smart, the code was just Tony's way of being helpful. So I would say that Tony's matchmaking/Cupid ability should probably stay on the downlow, hahaa. And we get a snippet of what kind of history Bridgette carries!**

**Thanks so much! Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Three**

There was a rumble as the motorcycle pulled up to Stark Tower. Steve swung his leg over, kicking down the stand before storming inside the building. His blonde hair was slightly mussed from driving a little too fast. He was rightly irritated.

The waitress, Grace, had told him that there was a family emergency when he asked about Bridgette. Alarmed, he paid for his food and pulled out his "cellphone". Fortunately, Bridgette had given him a condensed lesson the cellphone. She had programmed the device to remember her number so all he had to do was press a single number. The buttons were small, making it difficult for his thumb to press a single number. He usually had to take a few tries as he tended to accidentally hit the surrounding buttons rather than the one number he wanted.

The phone rang and he waited impatiently. He would much rather talk face-to-face, he felt foolish with the small handheld item next to his head. It was so small, he was sure to break it.

_ "Hello?"_ It was Bridgette's voice communicating through the device. Her signature greeting which actually sounded a bit more like "Hellooo?" as she held the "o" sound a bit longer.

"Bridgette," he greeted. He was still awkward with the phone chatting. It was just so tiny, how could it possibly do anything?

_ "Hey Steve,"_ she answered, recognizing his voice. Or it was her cellphone reporting that it was his number that was connected to hers. "Caller i.d." or something.

"Are you all right? Grace said that you had a family emergency?" he asked. Which was odd because Bridgette never once mentioned any family, at least not to him that he was aware of.

_ "Oh no, I'm alright. It was Tony's idea of a joke,"_ she reported. His blonde brow furrowed.

"That isn't funny," he stated. He could hear her give a little laugh.

_ "I know, I know, it wasn't funny."_ She must have found it a bit funny because she was still slightly laughing.

"Really, it's not. Stark shouldn't be fooling you like that. What if something really had happened? Or next time it does and you don't believe him?" he lectured.

_ "Yeah, well, you can tell him that yourself,"_ she told him. He could hear the smile in her tone, so it must not have been that bad. He sighed loudly. Dealing with Tony Stark was always tiring.

"So you're at Stark Tower now?" he asked. "Would you like me to pick you up?"

_ "Yeah. A ride home would be great. Are you sure it's not a problem?"_ she asked to be sure. He gave a small smile, amused.

"It's not a problem. I'm on my way," he reported, taking a seat on his bike.

_ "All right. Thanks, Steve-"_ Instead of hanging up, he heard a loud clatter like she had dropped the phone. Why would she have dropped it?

_ "Here, hold still. Stay with me Bruce!" _Then there was a roar and Steve floored it.

The automatic doors opened for him and he ran inside, eyes darting about to find Bridgette and the freshly released Hulk. The floor trembled underfoot and he decided that it was his best lead, following the tremors. Rogers ran down the next hall and that was where he saw Tony Stark. The billionaire was stationed in the hall, observing through a large panelled window, looking in to some lab. Rightly irritated, he stormed up to him and grabbed him by his nicely pressed collar, silk tie crushed in his grip.

"What do you think you're playing at, Stark?" he demanded. "This isn't a game!"

"Shh!" shushed the Iron Man, making to cover the Captain's mouth. Steve released him quickly, shaking his hand away. Tony pointed to the window and Rogers huffed, looking into the lab.

The Hulk was currently subdued in a manner of speaking. He was sitting down, a minor crater beneath him due to his weight. Bridgette was standing very close to him and Steve prickled, defensive. He wish he had his shield with him. Just as reassurance. The Hulk was holding her hand as well. Was he crushing it? Hurting her?

"What's he doing?" asked Steve, keeping his voice low. Tony smirked.

"He's _talking _to her." Stark's eyes were bright with interest and excitement. Steve looked at the man oddly, then back to the two other Avengers.

"Talking?" He paused. "But what made him Hulk?"

Tony gave a disinterested wave. "The chemical burned his hand, spiked the heart rate and boom, we've got a Hulk. Not the point."

"Then what is the point, Stark?" asked Steve, exasperated. "How do we calm him down? I've half a mind to go in there right now-"

"-Then use the other half of your mind and don't. He'll smash you," he interrupted calmly. His mouth made a firm line, not amused.

"Then what should we do?" he exasperated. "We can't just leave her in there."

"That's exactly what we're going to do, Cap."

* * *

Bridgette looked up at the Hulk, hair shifting due to the inclination. He was quiet now, leaning forward on his knees, her hand still firmly in his grasp. Wide blue eyes watched him, more interested than worried now. She placed her free hand ontop of his, making his dark eyes find her again. He didn't tense, or flinch or react poorly to her added contact. Instead. he allowed it to occur. His breathing was much easier, the rise and falls of his chest calmer. Almost lethargic really, she noted.

"Are you okay?" she asked slowly, carefully. He gave a grunt of an answer, nodding. Bridgette couldn't help but smirk to herself. He looked tired, in her opinion. Like a kid ready to nod off. It was kind of adorable.

"Are you tired?" she guessed. His voice was mumbled over and she did her best not to giggle.

"Hulk tired...Hulk not sleep..." Her brow furrowed in interest.

"Why not? If you're tired you should sleep," she reasoned. He shook his head and he moved his arms, pulling her closer. The gesture was perhaps unintentional but her feet slid across the floor without a problem, like she weighed nothing. Which was a little unnerving. The Hulk was a massive figure overrun with muscles wanting to burst from their confines, and he wasn't exactly known for his strength control. Though her hand was trapped and falling asleep, she wasn't technically hurt, so that was a big improvement. At least she thought so.

"No! Hulk sleep Bruce come back," he explained. "Bruce always talk to Bridgette..." The girl felt her cheeks warm under his attention. An idea sparked to life and she looked up at him with glinting blue eyes.

"How about we make a deal?" she offered.

"Deal?" he repeated. She nodded, smiling.

"I'll do something for you, and you'll let Bruce come back," she explained. He studied her for a moment, debating. He didn't like changing back to the little doctor but Bridgette was asking him. Not forcing him. Asking him nicely. He slowly released her hand, which she appreciated, rotating it to get the blood flowing again. Did it hurt her? Did it not hurt her? Bridgette didn't say if Hulk hurt her. Bridgette never say if hurt.

"Okay," she took a breath. She gestured for Hulk to come closer. His heavy brow lowered in confusion but he obliged, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. Hulk was close to Bridgette now. Very close. She rose onto her tiptoes so be even closer. Hulk felt her tiny hands brushing his jaw line on either side as she moved toward him. Then Hulk felt something soft against his cheek and it took him a moment to register that it was Bridgette. It was a tiny sensation against his tough skin.

Bridgette kiss Hulk.

She pulled away and smiled up at him. "So, do we have a deal?"

Hulk noddded, his speech ability dumb from the action. Bridgette kissed Hulk. He closed his eyes as he heart rate remained steady and slowed into more of a lethargic state...

Bridgette kissed Hulk...

Bruce woke up with a slow groan, hand reaching for the back of his head. He could feel the shreds of his shirt hanging from his shoulders and the elastic of his waistband being held together by a thread. Again, he "Hulk'd out"? For the love of that was scientific, he thought he was getting better at leashing the other guy, and yet, here he was again wearing shredded clothing and-

"We ought to get you a pair of spanx or something with the rate you go through pants," laughed a voice. Brown eyes snapped open at the sound and he sat up quickly, alarmed. Bridgette leaned back to avoid crashing heads and grinned at the disoriented doctor.

"Welcome back, doc." His mouth opened and closed soundlessly for a moment and the girl shrugged, still sitting beside him on the floor.

"Wh-what, um, I mean, how-but what-what happened, here?" he stammered. Bridgette shrugged again.

"You got big and green," she answered simply. "And I'm fairly certain that Tony has it all on tape." Bruce felt his face color furiously.

"O-on tape?" he asked. "You can't be serious?" She raised a brow and smirked and he groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

"Not again," he muttered. His mental berrating was short lived when he felt Bridgette's fingers push through his hair, nudging him. He looked back at her, surprised by the action. It was...nice. It felt good, her slender fingers through his curly hair.

"Don't worry, nothing bad happened," she reassured. "The big guy and I just had a nice chat is all."

"A chat?" he repeated. "You just had a _chat_? What happened? Are you hurt?" He quickly examined her and the surrounding area. Her clothing wasn't torn, the tights weren't ripped like she had been fighting. There were a few craters from the Hulk's footprints but apart from that, no lasting damages to the lab. No bruises or scratches on her, even if they would show up on her skin, which was a little bothersome.

He never could quite tell if she was hurt or not. After the battle with the Chitaurians, Bridgette was dirtied and battered but she bore no bruises. No cuts. A couple patches that appeared to be singed, like dark dust scattered across her fair skin. She laughed it off and kept walking. It was actually a little alarming, her not admitting if something hurt...

"I'm fine, Bruce. We just talked, really."

"Yeah Bruce, really," repeated Tony as he walked into the lab. Steve Rogers was right behind him, expression serious. Bridgette smirked up at the genius which shifted to a kind of smile for the Captain. Bruce saw the expression and felt a twang of...what? Jealousy? No, he shouldn't be ridiculous. He shouldn't dwell on the thought.

The Captain extended a hand to help Bridgette to her feet while Tony helped the doctor, Bruce using one hand to make sure that his pants stayed up. Steve regarded Bridgette with a strong focus, studying her. He was standing right beside her, close. Both sets of blue eyes locked on each other.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes, Steve, I'm fine-"

"Your hand?" He took her hand into his own, turning it over and taking a look for himself. She huffed.

"Steve, I'm _fine_," she exasperated, pulling her hand back. "I'm fine. Promise."

"Wait, what happened to your hand?" asked Bruce. He stepped closer to her. "What did I do?"

"Nothing-" Tony tried to intervene, shooting a glare at the Captain to keep his silence. The look went unnoticed by the blonde.

"-The Hulk was crushing her hand-" added Steve.

"What? He was not!" yelped Bridgette.

"You heard the lady. Now drop it, Cap," warned Iron Man.

"Bridgette, I'm sorry-"

"-There's nothing to be sorry for!" To prove her point, she took two strong strides so that she was right in front of the doctor who was watching her with such a guilty expression it made her heart hurt. Her hands cupped the sides of his face and pulled him into a kiss, eyes screwed shut. After a moment of no reaction, she pulled away and said it again.

"There's nothing to be sorry for." On that note, she walked to the other side of the room and collected her bag, her weapon and her fallen phone.

"And where are you going?" asked Stark.

"Home," she told him curtly. Steve moved as if to approach her and she caught him with a stern look that stilled him.

"And I'm walking."

The lab door closed behind her with a swift swoosh. Tony looked over at the Captain who was staring, a bit dumbfounded.

"This is all you, Capsicle."

"Shut up, Stark."

* * *

It was early evening outside and a wind wove its way through the city, making Bridgette shiver. If only her jean jacket wasn't trashed from the battle, she would have that with her. She was irritated, and rightly so. The Hulk wasn't hurting her, he was just holding her hand! There wasn't anything wrong with that! Maybe for a normal person, a normal girl, the strength might have been too much but she was fine. She was Bridgette Smith. She was stronger than the normal girl.

Her bag bounced aginst her hip as she walked down the street. It wasn't very busy for that time of the day, and she appreciated it. She hated having to weave past people because their average pace was antagonizingly slow, so now she at least had the whole sidewalk to herself. After taking a few deep breaths, she could feel her mood cool off. All right, maybe it was rude of her to storm out like that, but they shouldn't just assume she was hurt! There might have been a slight pang, but that was all. She was just talking to the other guy and it was nice. Personally, she thought he enjoyed their chat. The only time the other guy got to come around was when Bruce was in danger or hurt. Doesn't really leave a lot of time for socializing.

There was an odd shift. The sound of a chamber being locked into place.

Bridgette tensed, freezing in place. Her blue eyes scanned the immediate area. There was absolutely no one around her, the street eeriely deserted. Strange. There seemed to be no life at all around her. She was completely alone. Stay calm, stay, she told herself. She pivoted and started to walk again, back up the street where she had came earlier. Eyes were on her, she could feel them making holes on her skin. She was being watched. Surrounded even.

Then there was a whistle on the wind and she staggered as something struck her shoulder. It wasn't a bullet, bullets were useless against her. Needles didn't work, so tranquilizers were out too. Her hand reached up to touch the spot to find it damp and cold. Another one hit her leg and a third found her back. She ran.

Her legs propelled her forward, running as hard as she could up the street. The liquid was starting to settle and sickening fear was worming its way into her system. They were sedating her with the chemicals that would have been used in a tranquilizer, instead of piercing the skin and forcing the injection, they were allowing it to soak her and be absorbed naturally. Like water or rain.

She fumbled for her phone, half tripping as one hit her thigh. They were using snipers, which was an excellent choice as she would smash their physical force. The cold was spreading faster and she was starting to lose feeling. Her thumb pressed a single number, speed dialing for Steve Rogers. She didn't have the numbers for the other Avengers. She held the phone to her head as she ran as fast as she could, which was painfully becoming slower.

_ "Bridgette?"_ answered Steve. _"Look, I'm sorry about earlier-"_

"My file!" she gasped, looking over her shoulder. Shit, they were sending the footsoldiers after her now.

_ "What?"_

"My file! Read it! Read my file, get Stark, break all security protcols, breach SHIELD's defensives, I don't care! Just read it!" Another shot hit her and forced her down, her phone clattering away.

_ "Bridgette, what's going on?"_

She tried to pull herself back up but her legs weren't answering. She tried to pull herself forward but her arms refused to answer as well. Her mind was starting to cloud and the world was beginning to slant. The darkly dressed men were upon her now, restraining her.

"Steve! It's Hydra!" she screamed. "It's Hydra! _Help_!"

The formula soaked cloth was forcefully pressed to her mouth and nose and her world quickly shifted to black.

_It's Hydra..._

* * *

**REVIEW! Tadaa! Bad guys, a kiss, Hulk moment and a tensy bit of drama! Thanks so much for the reviews and thoughts, I'm so glad you all enjoy this! Until next time!**

**Enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Four**

Hydra...

_Hydra..._

_**Hydra**__._

Hydra and their weapons, blowing perfectly good men to particles. Hydra with their twisted research that would only benefit themselves. Hydra, using a young boy as a shield after killing Dr. Erskine. Cut off one head and two more will grow back in its place. Red Skull with the Tesseract, watching the men and agents fight, killing each other. Red Skull and Hydra wanting to send the bombs to end high populated areas, including New York. Because of Hydra, he had to put the plane in the water. He had to talk to Peggy Carter about their date that they both knew that he would miss. Because of Hydra, he slept for seventy years to wake up in this confusing world he wasn't accustomed to. Hydra, who rip him from his world.

"Hydra," muttered the Captain. He slowly lowered the phone to see that it was crushed in his grip. His pulse was pounding in his head, making it difficult to hear. Tony had to repeat himself, stepping closer.

"Hey, you all right Cap?" he asked. Steve must have been wearing an expression that called for alarm. His entire body was tense, fists clenched and shoulders tight, starting to shake.

"Bridgette's file," he started slowly. "Where's her file." It was more of a command than a question. Tony eyed him, suspcious.

"I have it, a bit of light reading. Cap, what did she call for?" he asked. "You're starting to creep me out with the whole dark-and-brooding vibe."

The remains of the cellphone crunched in his hand as his grip tightened. "They took her..."

"Who took who?" exasperated Stark, lifting his hands. "Start talking sense, Rogers. What did the kid call for?"

"She called for help!" he snapped, throwing the broken phone to the ground. "She told me that you had to hack into her file and then she screamed for help because Hydra had her!"

* * *

Bruce had gone to his room to change into fresh clothes as the Hulk had shredded his earlier ones. He was pulling on a new shirt in front of his mirror when he caught himself smiling. His thick hair was slightly mussed from the transformation and from where Bridgette had run her fingers through. His entire being felt odd, like it was tingling with electric impulses all over. His brain kept replaying the earlier moments.

Bridgette smiling at him, the first thing he saw after waking up after the Hulk. It was reassuring, to say the least. Made him feel as if he didn't go on some crazed rampage, and was just waking up forom a nap instead. She grinned and laughed like nothing happened. Well, according to her, nothing bad had occured. She pushed her fingers through his hair, nudging him in a fun, teasing way. It had been a very long time since anyone was so carefree around him. They were always concerned about the other guy, about hitting some emotional cord and releasing the Hulk.

Bridgette never worried about that. The other guy. Upsetting him. She just told it like it was and dealt with the consequences later. He liked that about her, her straight forward attitude. Which definitely included the way she kissed him. Again. That made it twice now, right?

"Twice..." he muttered. The thought sunk in and he yelped instead "Twice!" He ran a hand through his hair, the last button of his shirt fastened. She had kissed him and he just stood there! Didn't he? He couldn't quite remember, his mind was a little clouded with the distraction of her mouth on his. He grabbed his brown jacket, pulling it on as he left his room. It was his best idea to go ask Tony for advice, he was very popular with women afterall. In a sense. Maybe he would have a helpful word or two with a heaping dose of mocking and harrassment, of course.

He pushed the door open to Tony's workshop, after punching in his personal code that Tony had created for him, giving him full access to Stark Towers and its labs. The door opened with a smooth swoosh and the doctor looked up to see Tony and Steve standing around the genius's worktable, multiple monitor screens pulled up. The Captain was the first to react to his presence.

"Doc, you shouldn't be here," he started to warn. Stark waved for him to be quiet, studying the screens, watching the codes work their magic against locks and firewalls.

"Rogers, he's got to see this too," chided Stark, moving a small pannel away from his main screen.

"What's going on?" asked the doctor slowly, stepping further into the room. His brown eyes studied the screens, images flitting back and forth, protective screens trying to keep them covered. The words _Confidential_, _Private_, and _Sealed _were repeated and his brow furrowed in concern. "Tony, what are you doing?"

"Hacking SHIELD." Brow furrowing further, Bruce pulled over one of the screens to be greeted with Bridgette's photo and file.

**Avengers Initiative**

_ Name: __**Bridgette Smith**_

_ Family: Unknown_

_ Skills: Endurance. Strength._

_ Alliances: Unknown._

_ Personal Allies: Unknown._

_ Enemies: Unknown._

_ Current Address: Classified._

_ Country of Birth: Berlin, Germany._

_ Language: English. German_.

"Her file really doesn't tell us that much, does it?" mused Banner. He flipped through the few photos SHIELD put on her file. Stationary, mostly mug shots, nothing elaborate. Only one was shot from as distance, giving a full figure for the record. "So, why are you so interested to crack her file?"

The Captain was tense, glancing over at the genius, who proceeded to ignore him and enter a few more codes. "The kid told us to."

He gave a short laugh. "I thought she was mad at us? She felt better and told you to read her file? Rather odd." His laugh died as he watched the Captain's tense stature and Tony's focused gaze. Something was off. There was more.

"What's wrong?" he asked, taking a step closer. The scans were starting to slow down, pieces of the lock coming undone. "Why are you really looking?"

"She told us to," repeated Rogers, arms folded tightly over his chest.

"_Sir, you have full access to Bridgette Smith's file of SHIELD database_," reported Jarvis.

"Good. Give me a full spread." Tony clapped his hands, opening them wide as more Stark tech screens appeared.

Bruce could only stare, stunned.

Bridgette's true file was absolutely teaming with information, photos and videos. There were images of the current Bridgette, teenage Bridgette, and child Bridgette. A variety of compositions, multiple videos were playing and the name HYDRA continued to reappear, almost like a copyright stamp. Her expression was scared, beyond frightened in the pictures Banner could focus on. She was so little, just a kid with her long russet hair. There were men dressed in black around her, trying to restrain her. Video footage showed that she overpowered most of them, despite her age and size.

"My god..." muttered Steve.

"What is all of this?" asked Bruce. He was shocked by all of the information that was now floating around Tony's work lab.

"Jarvis, give us a starting point. Family history," instructed Tony. "It'd be useless to jump into the middle of this mess. Best start at the beginning."

"_Yes sir_." There was a moment and a portion of her file was brought to the main screen, Jarvis narrating.

"_Bridgette Anne Erskine. Origin: Berlin, Germany. Daughter of Michael Erskine and Janette Smith and younger sister to Marcus Erskine. All family members are deceased, sir_."

"Cause of death?" asked Tony. The screen flipped to a page with a clear photo of the men.

"_The deep science terrorist division known as Hydra. It seems they killed Dr. Erskine for his work_."

"Dr. Erskine?" The name struck a cord in the blonde man. Tony and Bruce looked over at the Captain. "Dr. Erskine was the man who created the Super Soldier serum and got me into the Army. He was killed by Hydra as soon as the precedure finished."

"_Yes. Dr. Abraham Erskine is the predecessor of Dr. Michael Erskine. Bridgette's grandfather, so to speak_," answered Jarvis. Tony twirled a pen tech tool, pointing to the Cap and the screen.

"So that's the connection between the two of you," he mused.

"_Sir, there is another video displaying Miss Smith's knowledge of the Captain_." He nodded.

"Play it." Bruce folded his arms, tense. It felt strange, learning all of this information about Bridgette. So much history behind the girl that smiled at the Hulk. Like they were disturbing a history that didn't want to be dug up.

The video opened, revealing a plain white room that had only a bed as the single piece of furniture, bolted to the floor. There was the opening of a door and a small box of crayons and a pad of paper were tossed into the room. The room was seemingly empty as the door closed again. A shift of movement occured and a very young Bridgette pulled herself out from under the bed, checking to make sure the coast was clear before snatching the items and crawling back into her hiding spot. Her hair was past her shoulders and her eyes were wide and scared, Bruce managed to noticed. She moved quickly, slipping out of sight again before he could notice anything else besides her basic appearance and white outfit. White long sleeves with a small collar, button down shirt and white pants, no socks or shoes.

A few minutes ticked by before the door opened again, doorway out of the camera's angled range. A group of men entered the room, approaching the bed. One reached under the bed and pulled her out by her ankle while she screamed in protest, fighting. She wasn't speaking English, German obviously.

"Jarvis, run translation."

_ "No! No! Let me go! Let me go!" _she screamed, kicking her legs. She was clutching the piece of paper, holding it out in front of her, like it would protect her. She needed it to protect her.

Afterall, she had drawn Captain America's shield.

"_Stop! You killed Dad and Marcus! You killed my Mom! You can't kill me too! Let me gooooooo!" _The team managed to grab ahold of her and escourt her out of the room, her feet completely off the ground. Her drawing had fallen onto the floor, shield side down. Stark's eyes narrowed.

"Jarvis, zoom in on the paper. I think there's writing." The video was manipulated to focus in on the crinkled piece of paper. Low and behold, she had written a message in the blue crayon. Translation went to work.

_ Dear Captain America,_

_ My name is Bridgette Erskine. I am 7 years old._

_ Please come save me. I am scared. They are bad guys and I am little._

_ Love,_

_ Bridgette Erskine. _

Steve had to walk away from the screen, keeping his back to the images of the small girl. He was still in the ice whenever all of this happened. He was just a story that the little girl believed in. She needed him to come and save her and he wasn't there to do anything. Yet when he met Bridgette aboard the helicarrier she grinned at him like he never failed her.

Bruce approached Tony, the knots in his stomach tightening. "Tony, why are we going through this? Clearly, she escaped them." Stark didn't look at him, instead he remained focused on the screen, pen tight in his grip.

"They took her back, Bruce." A pause. "That's why she called Cap and told us to get her file. She said it was Hydra. And by the looks of this, I'm betting that they believe that she's their property. Whatever her dad was working on, she had it instead."

"What do you mean? How is she theirs-why was she taken-when?" he stammered. "Bridgette wouldn't-wouldn't just let them take her back!"

"Doc," started Tony, finally looking over at the doctor. Relieved that he wasn't Hulking out just yet. Probably too stunned for it to fully sink in. "They know her better than anyone. They probably knew exactly how to take her down."

Breathing hard, Bruce looked over to a recent picture of the girl. Her expression didn't betray her, showing only determination and defiance. Then again, Bridgette never showed when she was hurt.

"Bruce, it'd be best if you head to the Green Room," suggested Tony. The Green Room, a specially designed fortress Stark designed for the other guy. With the top of the line equipment at his fingertips, it was the most secure place for the mild manner doctor to Hulk out if he had enough time to get to it. It would allow the Hulk the distraction and durable enviornment to work out his anger without breaking free and hurting civillians. A safe room.

Taking another breath, Bruce pulled out his glasses and setting them into place. "No. We need to fully understand her file and Hydra if we're going to come up with a strategy."

Tony smirked. "We've got a lot of homework to catch up on."

* * *

Bridgette woke up with a groan, body sluggish. Her limbs felt like they were made of metal and were overly heavy, even for her. Not to mention that her head was pounding like a jackhammer. Irritatingly loud. Where was she? Her memory was a little fuzzy but she definitely remembered the men dressed in black.

Hydra.

Forcing her eyes open, she groaned again when she saw that she was back in the white room that she hated so much. She glanced over to see an odd contraption hooked around her wrist. Something damp was pressed against her skin while the outside was similar to a shackle. There was some kind of tranq soaking the cloth, being absorbed into her skin order to keep her subdued. She gave a humorless smirk.

"Fantastic..."

The door promptly opened and a single man stepped into her room. A single man, so he wasn't a guard. Guards moved in pairs or groups when dealing with her. This man was a figure she didn't miss.

Doctor Dieter Zola, son of Doctor Anim Zola. He towered over her bed, using his height as a tool, an intimidation factor. It was actually comical to the girl as the man wasn't very tall himself, perhaps her height when she wasn't wearing heels. He was just trying to compensate.

"We've reclaimed you again, Patient Erskine," he began in English, German accent overbearingly heavy as his W's turned into V's. She rolled his eyes, adjusting the doseage they were dealing her. They finally found a way around her armor.

"Took you long enough," she mocked. "I've got to say, I'm not very impressed. Guess your age is catching up to you, _ja_?" His chest puffed, indignant. It was the truth, Dr. Zola was an old man, his hair white and wrinkles heavy on his face and body.

"You've earned yourself quite the mouth haven't you?" he asked. "Talking won't save you, Patient Erskine."

"It already has, you old hag." He moved quickly and struck her, hard. The force snapped her head to the side and she smirked, turning back to face him.

"Gee, way to be subtle. Barely tickled though," she teased. "Your losing your touch, Zola."

"We will see if I'm losing my touch, Erskine," he said, giving his fist a light shake. "We have made quite a bit of progress in your absence."

"Great. So let me go home."

"Ah, but we need you to continue our work." She gave a heavy sigh.

"Just can't do anything yourself, can you? Is that why you sent that mercenary after me way back when?" she asked. Zola's neck flushed with heat, irritated that the girl was still mocking him and his obvious power over her. She was the prisoner, she had no room to talk. This was much simpler when she was a child.

"He didn't finish his job," he muttered. "How did you evade him?"

"With my wit and charm. You know, I'm just irresistable," she winked. He bristled and turned to leave.

"We will be back for our product in the morning. I suggest you enjoy your last peaceful night."

"Always."

As soon as the door closed behind him, her blue eyes flickered to the shackle. She needed to get it off or at least disable the chemical flow to her skin. She would need all of her strength if she was going to take whatever Zola had to dish out. Breaking out wasn't going to be like last time.

* * *

**REVIEW! Another chapter down and we start getting more puzzle pieces of Bridgette's past! Yay! And for you readers who are very concerned about a love triangle, it's okay. This is a Bruce Banner x Bridgette Smith (Bannette, according to ****cocoa85175****!) all the way through lol. But it's fun to mess with the good doctor (don't let him know, shh).**

***ja means "Yes" or "Yeah"**

**Hope you enjoy!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Five**

There was a soft dry breath on the wind. The desert was arid, dry, and miserable. Clint Barton was not a fan. Sure, it made his job difficult with the broad updrafts that came out of nowhere and tweaked his arrows off course. The sun baked him throughout the day and at night he just about froze his ass off. While Natasha was working the client with her charm, he was keeping watch from his "nest" as the other agents dubbed it. In short, he was cranky and ready to go back home.

There was a small bing from his earpiece and he gave it a quick tap, eyes never straying from Romanov's figure and her obnoxious target. Didn't she have her information yet?

"Agent Barton," he answered.

"_Agent Barton. You and Agent Romanov need to report in_," came Director Fury's voice over the line.

"Director, we're in the middle of an assignment," he answered. Though he was dying to wrap it up and go home. There wasn't even a population big enough to provide a proper distraction. He had seen the same small number of people doing the same mundane chores for the past four days and he was starting to hope that a vulture would fly low enough and take a bite at him. At least that would be interesting.

"_Take the target down. Both of you are needed here_," instructed Fury. Barton smirked, pulling an arrow from his quiver and fitting it to his bow.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why do you need us back?" he asked, shaded eyes locking on the tall figure. He pulled the string back, thumb brushing his cheek as he drew a breath.

"_Smith has been compromised_." As he exhaled, the arrow flew straight and true, no updraft of air to deter it from it's path.

"Roger that." The target dropped like a bag of rocks. No one else was walking about outside and he saw Natasha whip around to glare at him. Her hand reached for her earpiece.

"_What the hell, Clint!_" she growled, keeping her voice low.

"Grab his ledger and let's go," he relayed. "Director Fury needs us back home."

"_What for? He was just about to hand it over, Clint_-"

"Smith's been compromised." Widow's line fell quiet and he could see her bend down to reach into the man's tunic, pulling out a small black book. She pocketed it and turned abruptly on her heel, pace brisk.

"_Let's go_."

* * *

_It was winter. She remembered that it was snowing. Cold, white and fluffy snowflakes fell from the sky. Little Bridgette looked out the small basement window, nose pressed against the glass so she could look up at the snow. She loved snow. It was pretty and cold, but sometimes it would glitter when it was sunny._

_ "Marcus," she called, looking over her shoulder. "Wanna play a game?" _

_ "Just a second, Bridgette," he called back. She hummed to herself and resumed looking out the window, cheeks and nose pink from the chilled glass. There was a bit of rustling and talking between dad and Marcus before her brother approached her from the other part of the lab. Dad's lab was in their basement, so he worked at home a lot which was nice. Bridgette liked it. It was nice. Mom was upstairs painting and Dad worked with all of his neat science tools downstairs._

_ "Maaarcus!" she sang. She pointed to the window. "It's snowing again!"_

_ "Really, again?" he sighed. His big arms wrapped around his little sister, lifting her clean off her feet and into the air, making her squeel. Marcus was big next to the little girl. He was older, almost done with high school. He was really big, like dad, and a really good football player, the keeper. He stopped every ball that came at him and Bridgette loved going to his games and yelling "Goal!" with everyone._

_ He twirled her about for a moment before taking a seat in one of the old run down armchairs. Still giggling, Bridgette layed her head down against his chest, lifting with his breaths. He sighed, holding his arm out to the side. Blue eyes looked at his arm, lips forming a pout when she saw the small band aid over what she knew to be a needle mark._

_ "I don't like needles," she said. Marcus laughed, looking down at her and over to his arm with equally blue eyes. He had the same red brown hair that fell across his forehead and freckles like his sister, right acros his nose and cheeks. Mom had red hair and freckles while Dad had brown hair. He offered blood for Dad to run the tests on. Their dad was working on a high tech program for the military, super secret. Bridgette didn't really know anything about it, other than the fact that it was supposed to help soldiers. Marcus helped Dad too by volunteering to "run tests" and he gave blood. Why? She didn't know but she didn't like to watch it, it made her tummy feel funny. _

_ "It doesn't really hurt, Bridgette," he reassured. He wrapped his arms around her and she snuggled, suddenly tired. "But it's all right. Dad's almost done, you know."_

_ "Really?" she asked, eyes starting to close._

_ "Yeah, and then guess what?"_

_ "What?" He brought his voice to a whisper._

_ "We're going to go on vacation." Her eyes snapped open as she looked up at her brother, blue gaze glinting with excitement._

_ "Really, Marcus? Really?" she asked, gasping with the thrill. "Oh my gosh!" She scrambled off her brother's lap quickly in order to rush over to her father's portion of the lab._

_ "Dad! Dad!" she called, nearly colliding with his work chair. He was wearing his white lab coat and looking into the microscope. She could hear him laugh._

_ "One moment, love. One moment." She nodded, long russet hair waving as she waited semi-patiently, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Her father put the slide in a small box and removed his glasses, turning off the microscope. Bridgette noticed the large vial that seemed to be on display. It was filled with a blue liquid. She liked blue, it was her favorite color. Captain America wore blue. Blue was pretty but she shouldn't touch it. She got in trouble sometimes when she played with Dad's tools. Tools, not toys, he would say. She remembered._

_ "Now," he took a breath, turning in his chair to face her with a tired smile. "What is it?"_

_ "Are we going on vacation after you're done with work?" she blurted, leaning against his knee. He smirked, looking over her head at her brother who shrugged._

_ "What? I couldn't keep it from her," he laughed. Dad laughed too shaking his head and Bridgette persisted._

_ "Are we? Are we? Are we?" He placed his big hands on the sides of her face and kissed her forehead._

_ "Yes, we are. Soon," he answered._

_ "Yay!" she cheered, bouncing in a big twirl. "Oh my gosh! Where will we go? The beach? The ocean! That's where we should go-"_

_ A bang errupted from upstairs and the three froze. Bridgette looked up with wide eyes as the sound of footsteps ran across the floor. There was a crash, the breaking of Mom's paints. Then her mom started to shout. Fear swallowed her body whole. What was going on? Who was up there? Was Mom okay?_

_ Marcus grabbed her roughly, pulling her away from the door with such force her socked feet barely skimmed the ground. The basement door was kicked open loudly and she could hear her dad protesting, to reason with the people who stormed down the stairs._

_ "Marcus! Wh-what's happening?" she choked, tears falling fast. She was scared! She was so scared! She looked up at her brother to see that his expression was panicked too. Her heart pounded. Marcus was never scared! Her brother wasn't scared of anything!_

_ "M-Marcus!" she begged. He dove behind a tower of equipment, clamping a hand over her mouth._

_ "Shh, shh," he shushed. She obliged, keeping her silence as she shook from fright. Marcus rolled up the sleeve of her white sweater, up past her elbow. _

_ "You know how...how Captain America had enemies, Bridgette?" he whispered. She nodded._

_ "Y-yes. They were c-called Hydra. Y-you told me about them..." He nodded._

_ "Right. And-and they're bad guys right?" He pulled a small package and ripped it open, using the disinfectant wipe to clean a spot on her arm._

_ "Y-yes...Marcus I'm scared!" she whimpered._

_ "I know, I know," he reassured. "But you've got to know a-about them. They're Dad's enemies too...They want this." He showed her the vial of blue liquid but it had a needle now. Bridgette's heart pounded hard at the sight of the sharp point. Marcus's hand found her shoulder, squeezing tightly._

_ "You can't let them have this, Bridgette," he told her. "No matter what, okay?"_

_ She nodded, cheeks wet with her tears that wouldn't stop falling. "O-okay..."_

_ "You might feel a slight pinch," he warned. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see. The needle penetrated her skin and she bit down on a yelp, cheating and opening one eye to look. The blue liquid was pushed from the tube and into her body, disappearing beneath her skin. Marcus pulled the needle away, applying pressure to the mark. _

_ Glass shattered as guns were fired and Bridgette screamed, covering her head. Marcus tackled her to the ground, his body covering hers. She kept her eyes screwed closed, her brother's heavy body crushing her as he kept her covered. The shots rang out, gunfire deafening as their dad's lab was destroyed._

_ "Be still, Bridgette," wheezed Marcus. "W-we're...we're going to pretend...okay? Pretend to be dead...S-so they g-go away..."_

_ "'K-kay," she whispered, terrified. Marcus made sure she was securely beneath him, allowing his full back to be exposed._

_ "I love you, Bridgettte..." he promised._

_ "I love you too, Marcus..."_

_ There was another wave of noise and breaking and Bridgette did her very best to be still and to keep her eyes closed. Even though her body felt like it was on fire from whatever it was Marcus gave her. It hurt but she didn't move. She had to pretend to be dead. She had to trick them so they would go away. Go away, she begged. Go away..._

_ It felt like forever before the silence fell. No more gun shots, no more yelling. The footsteps went away. The breaking glass stopped. The little girl waited some more before she started to fidget. Marcus was pretending really well, she noticed. He didn't move a muscle._

_ "Marcus..." she dared to call out quietly. "I think they're gone..." She waited a few beats for her brother to answer and she peeked, opening one eye._

_ "Marcus..." she tried again. He was completely still with his eyes closed. He must be holding his breath because his chest wasn't moving either. _

_ There were a single set of footsteps and she gasped, closing her eyes again to pretend. Then there was a gasp, followed by a cry._

_ "Oh Michael!" sobbed the person. Blue eyes opened in realization._

_ "Mom?" she called. "Mom!" She started to wiggle free, Marcus still not moving. "C'mon Marcus, it's mom! Don't you hear her?"_

_ "Bridgette? Baby are you all right?" called her mom. Her mom came from the front of the lab, her wild red hair in disarray. There was a nasty cut on the side of her head and she rushed over to her two children._

_ "Marcus?" she called. "Honey?" She helped Bridgette out from under her brother and her mother began to cry, covering her mouth with her hand to stiffle the sobbing. Bridgette looked from her mom to her brother, confused._

_ "It's okay, mom. We were just pretending," she reassured. "Right Marcus?" She nudged her brother but he didn't move, cheek pressed against the floor. Her chest started to tighten and she caught sight of his back which seemed to be peppered with bloody holes. She used both hands to push his broad shoulder in attempt to wake him._

_ "M-Marcus, tell mom this was your idea," she asked. "You don't...you don't have to pretend anymore, Marcus. We're done pretending..." Her fingers twisted in the material of his dark sweater, giving another push. She glanced back at her mom with a watery gaze. Mom was still crying and reached out to touch the girl's shoulder._

_ "Darling, Marcus-"_

_ "H-he's sleeping!" she reasoned quickly. Her mind was scrambling for a reason. "He-he must've fallen asleep! Yeah, he fell asleep! That's all!" She pushed him with a bit more force now, tears rolling again._

_ "Wake up, Marcus! Time to get up!" she half chirped. _

_ Nothing. _

_ Her mom's arms wrapped around her and pulled her into an embrace which she struggled against. _

_ "No!" she cried, fighting to get free. Her mom held firm, keeping the girl to her. Her entire body was shaking with sobs now._

_ "M-Marcus...!" she screamed for him. "Marcus!"_

_ Soon after, her mom took both of them to the airport. They were going to fly and stay with Grandma and Grandpa Smith for a little while, said mom. Bridgette numbly agreed, blue eyes vacant as she held tight to her mother's hand. Her little body was still hurting from whatever the blue liquid was. Not to mention that everything reminded her of Marcus and Dad. She wanted to burst into tears every time she saw families together but her body wouldn't make any more tears. She cried all of her tears into her pillow. The nights of wailing and sobbing and screaming for her dad and brother so hard that her heart hurt. She had used up all her tears._

_ No sooner had they landed in the United States, outside and walking through the relatively empty parking lot to find their rental vehicle did the black descend again. A whole team of men dressed in black swooped in on the pair like a flock of hungry vultures. They ripped Bridgette away from her mom, a gun to each of their heads. Bridgette remembered seeing her mom scream for her, but it was like everything was on mute. The man pulled the trigger and her mom dropped like a rag doll. The man holding the girl pulled the trigger and she felt a force punch the side of her head but the gun was the item that exploded instead. _

_ She was alive._

The door opened with a swish and the pair of guards shook her roughly to wake her.

"Time to go, Erskine," they grouched.

"Gotta buy me dinner first there Sparky," she mocked. They pulled her to her feet roughly and she swayed on the spot, allowing them to support most of her weight. They pulled her out of the room, her feet dragging and stumbling. Little did they know, the material that was previously lining the inside of the cuff and connecting the liquid to her skin was now flipped. She had picked at it all night, keeping her back to the camera. Now she had a few hours without being doped, but they didn't need to know that yet.

So she would just pretend.

* * *

**REVIEW! Sad story time with Bridgette and a little snippet of Hawkeye/Black Widow. Next chapter we'll get back with our superhero team! I hope you enjoyed even though it is a little sad.**

***football=soccer **

**Enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Six**

Bruce sat in front of one of the many computer monitors, exhausted. He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes that were starting to burn from studying the bright screens. His chest rose with a deep breath as he fought to keep his cool. Pictures of Bridgette flooded the screens while the pages were loaded with heavy information that dared to trigger the other guy who was already stressed, the wall that kept him back was dangerously thin.

At the age of seven, her family was murdered and she was taken completely by Hydra.

..._Patient Erskine displays signs of the super-soldier serum. Numerous tests show positive result in the tests regarding physical strength, endurance, and speed. Unfortunately, a reaction from the serum has turned Patient Erskine's skin into some form of armor that is, at this time, unpenetrable. At a later date, tests will continue to study this reaction..._

_ ...Tests show that Patient Erskine's skin is resiliant against blunt force, the sharpness of blades and needles alike. The skin refuses to crack while the rest of her body refuses to break as well. Contusions do not surface..._

SHIELD began tracking her whereabouts at age ten. An agent was killed on the job in attempt to break her out of the facility after a year of being undercover.

..._"Doctor Hoffman" was discovered as a fraud at 2100 hours today. He was caught trying to free Patient Erskine in an attempt to escape. They did not breach the perimeter. The fraud was taken down with deadly force. Patient Erskine was not harmed from the force but considerably more difficult to return to her cell..._

Bridgette was recorded as a flight risk. According to the records, if the guards looked away for a moment, she took off.

..._Patient Erskine's attempt at flight today occurred while the guards on duty turned in reaction to a sound (that Patient Erskine had somehow triggered) and the Patient ran. This makes it her 12th recorded attempt in two weeks sine the "Doctor Hoffman" incident. Patient Erskine was sedated via chemical containment and returned to her cell as per protocol..._

When she was eighteen, she successfully broke out of the Hydra location. She was pursued and took a jump from one of Chicago's towering buildings. And lived.

**"Oh! I fell off a building once, that's how I caught SHIELD's attention."**

..._Today, Patient Erskine successfully escaped and breached Hydra perimeter, running into the city of Chicago. Armed force pursued and cornered the Patient into an empty building, firing full power on sight. Unfortunately, Patient Erskine jumped from the rooftop, crashing to the street below where the general public and people services quickly rushed her to the hospital. Hydra agents could not approach Patient Erskine due to their militarized appearance would cause for alarm..._

She ran away from the hospital before SHIELD could catch up with her, leaving the address of Hydra's location.

_ ...SHIELD log: Bridgette Erskine was unable to be escourted to base location as she managed to escape the hospital unnoticed. A note was left, intended for the collecting agents._

_ SHIELD._

_ Hydra location_

_ Building 1533. Basement floor. 39th street. Only known base in the United States._

_ Destroy everything._

_ Bridgette..._

Soon after, the records show that a mercenary by the alias "Deadpool" was paid to take her down. There was no contact with Hydra to confirm that his work was completed.

..._Hydra funds have been transferred in a form of payment to the order of Mr. Wade Wilson, also known as Deadpool, the mercenary. His services had been called to Hydra's attention due to the long period of time since Patient Erskine's escape. He has been told to approach as if to kill as that is the only way he could hope to overpower her..._

_ ...There has still been no word from Mr. Wilson on the status of his commission going into the second month of his services..._

Then she dropped off the map.

_ ...Still no news or notification of Bridgette Erskine's location. Agents have been searching but nothing has turned up yet..._

Four years later, SHIELD caught wind of her again.

_ ...Bridgette Erskine was spotted on the campus of Columbia University, New York City. SHIELD agents were sent to approach Miss Erskine, locating her outside of the lecture hall where she acts as a teaching assistant for the professor of biology. The student was later identified as Peter Parker, an undergraduate. Miss Erskine ran upon spotting the agents, who pursued as it was important for her to understand SHIELD's purpose of protecting her...Multiple agents were injured as Miss Erskine picked up a softball bat while running across campus. Injuries logged as Agent Jones suffered a broken jaw, Agent Coulson a concussion and does not clearly recall the event, while the rest of the force suffered minor contusions. Fortunately they were able to speak to her, although from a distance as to approach Miss Erskine any closer would be dangerous to their health..._

The doctor took another breath, headache threatening to rise. He had to stay calm. Staying calm meant that the other guy didn't show up and it also meant that he could figure out the problem. Staying calm meant that he was closer to finding her. His hand rose to pinch the bridge of his nose.

_ "Hey doc!"_

His brow furrowed as her voice echoed in his head. Inhale. Exhale. He had to force her out of his mind. He had to work on the problem. Focus on the variables, not the person. Not her teasing laugh. Her glinting eyes that clearly stated that she was up to trouble. Her smile that appeared every time she looked at him. No, none of that.

"Focus on the facts, Banner," he scolded. "Only the facts..." On that note, he put his glasses back in their place and looked to the screen again.

There was a swish as the door opened and Tony Stark sauntered into the lab, taking a drink of some sort of health beverage that the genius was oddly fond of. The Iron Man set a steaming mug beside the doctor before taking his own seat. Bruce gave a short laugh.

"I don't think that coffee would be a good idea right now, Tony," he told his friend. "But I appreciate the thought, nonetheless."

"Trust me, doc, you need something," reaffirmed Tony. "You look like crap." Bruce sent a half hearted glare and Tony shrugged.

"What? You do." A pause as the two stared. The genius finally sighed. "Relax, it's decaf anyway." Banner cracked a smile and Tony noted the reaction with a bit of relief. The good doctor was exhausted but he wouldn't stop pouring over the file. Sure, Tony's had his share of all nighters, or even all week-ers when he got caught up in a project. It wasn't exactly healthy. There were shadows under his eyes due to lack of sleep, well, consecutive sleep. More than once Stark had caught him passed out at the table but even then his expression was tight, body tense. He wasn't coping with the stress very well and that worried the Iron Man. Bruce was his friend and he was clearly hurting. It wouldn't be long before he cracked. It had already been a few days since she was taken.

"You're staring Tony," stated Bruce, snapping the man from his thoughts. He took a drink of his green colored concoction.

"Just caught up in your beauty, Banner. I'll try not to be so enthralled next time," he deflected easily. He smirked.

"You're worried that I'm going to...Hulk out."

"I'm worried that your going to cave under the pressure you're putting yourself under," Tony clarified. "So what better fix than coffee? Nature's exlir."

"Is that what it is?"

"Absolutely."

The door slid open again to reveal SHIELD agents Barton and Romanov. Natasha's heels clicked against the smooth floor of the lab as she led the approach. Her curled red hair bounced with her step while her expression was serious as per usual.

"Stark-"

"Agent Romanov, I perfer my poultry crispy. You may have to send Agent Barton back for another round," interrupted Tony, gesturing to the other agent. Clint huffed. Stark was harrassing him for the minor sunburn he had acquired during their last mission that the Iron Man had personally hijacked. _Minor _sunburn.

"-You are invading SHIELD files again," she chided. "Director Fury is-"

"Please say furious."

She tightened her jaw. "He is not pleased with you. Are you making it your personal goal to see how far you can irritate him?"

"Is it working?" Pause. "Then consider it a career."

Clint stepped forward to disappate the squabble between the agent and the billionaire. "What kind of information have you given yourself access to, Stark?"

"All of it," supplied Bruce, standing up. He took the chance and stretched his back, cramping from sitting so long. "We have her entire file."

"Bridgette Smith?" verified Barton. Banner visably cringed at her name, which did not go unnoticed.

"Yes. Her file was kept locked away due to it's prior history with Hydra." Steve Rogers entered the room, dressed in full Captain America gear. The four turned to look at the captain. "And at her personal request."

"Going somewhere Cap?" asked Natasha. He gave a solid nod, adjusting the shield on his arm.

"I'm tired of waiting," he stated. "Let's get going."

"Where to?" asked Clint.

"Germany. We can start from her former address, find out information from neighboring civillians. Maybe it will help us pinpoint their base."

Stark watched the Captain cautiously. He wasn't well either. Sure, his expression was stern and strict, the perfect soldier but he knew a mask when he saw one. Steve Rogers was feeling overwhelmingly guilty. He didn't work in the lab with Stark and Banner but he took a hard copy of her file and locked himself away in the gym. When walking past, you could hear his fists wailing into the punching bag, more than once sending it flying off it's hinges.

Hydra had triggered the Avenger time bomb.

* * *

She was dropped uncerimoniously into a chair, wrists strapped down by leather belts. She smirked. The guards weren't taking any chances with her. So at least they weren't stupid. At least not totally. Dr. Zola walked into the white room and it took her back.

The long days of sitting in the chair, without restraints at the time, and being thrown masses of information. Hydra decided that since they couldn't disect her, they could mold her into their perfect assassin. Hours and hours of schoolwork, languages, architects, history, psychology, sociology, biology. It was quickly discovered that Bridgette could learn at a much faster rate than the typical child. The serum affected her mental ability, being able to remember details while retaining and using huge amounts of information.

"I sure didn't miss this room," she grouched. Dr. Zola smirked as he approached her, confident due to her inabilty to move. Her blue eyes narrowed. All it would take would be a good flex and those "restraints" would be nothing more than bracelets. His hand found the back of her chair and he pulled out a pair of small glass vials for her to see. He gave them a gentle shake. Small bead like items glinted inside. One vial contained ruby red spheres while the other held the white.

"See these, Patient Erskine?" he asked. She gave him a deadpanned expression.

"No shit, Sherlock. You're uncomfortably close to me. Of course I see them," she snapped. "What are they?"

He gave that sick smirk of his and she just about blew her cover, she wanted to hit him so bad. He stood tall, as well as he could, and took a few paces away. The vials clinked together as he regarded them almost fondly.

"They're you."

"What." He turned to face her, his white lab coat swaying with the motion.

"They're you. Pieces of you that we were able to collect." He gave a nod and the two guards forced her face upward, meaty hands pushing against her face and Zola leaned over her, mocking. "And here you thought that we gained nothing from you. You've been most helpful."

"What're you...talking 'bout?" she gritted as the men kept her jaw closed.

"Allow me to demonstrate." Zola motioned for one guard to step forward, reliving a bit of pressure for a brief moment before the remaining guard did his best to cover for his friend. His giant hand was beneath her jaw while his other was at the back of her head, keeping her locked.

The doctor opted for the vial containing the light colored items and shook out a single gem. The guard accepted the item and tossed it into his mouth, swallowing. Her heart beat thudded within her chest as she watched the guard. He remained still and she couldn't see anything happening to him. Suddenly, he turned to face her and with speed he did not have before, plowed his fist into her stomach.

Pupils shrunk to pinpricks as she felt his massive fist crush her stomach, forcing back fat, muscles and tissues, fist fitting under her ribcage. Her body rippled with the shock and the other guard released her so she could lean forward and heave, struggling to regain air. A strand of blood dripped from her lips and an empty vial snatched it before it could hit the material of her clothes. Blue eyes looked up at the doctor.

"Your insides are not as strong as you would like to believe. Your skin gives away nothing, but you already knew that, didn't you? You knew that you could hurt, that you could still bleed," sneered the doctor. "Not in the way us humans bleed, as in from cuts and scrapes, but you can only cough up blood. That's the only way to get it out of you. Force." He dared to step close to her again, yanking her head up by her hair as she wheezed.

"And you are going to give it to me."

"So that...that pill..." she coughed. "Had my blood?"

"Oh no," he laughed. "That wasn't your blood." He released her and called the other guard forward. "He only had the enhancer that was created from your tears. A far lesser steroid, only good for brief periods of enhanced ability." He paused to give a laugh.

"Who would've thought that this would work? It was just a half formed idea that we could do something productive with your tears. Do you remember, Patient Erskine? How you used to cry all the time? You would just cry and cry for your mother, your brother and that father of yours-" Bridgette bared her teeth and lunged at the doctor, but the enhanced guard stopped her by clothes-lining her with his arm, forcing her to the floor. The guard stood up and picked up a container that had been stationed by the door way. He removed the lid and brought it over to the girl on the ground, pouring the contents onto her. She was instantly soaked by the sedatives, making her gasp and sputter.

The doctor handed a ruby pill to the guard who took it eagerly. The difference in the pill's strength was immediate. His body grew in height by at least five inches and his muscles began to bulge uncontrolably beneath his black uniform. The seams started to rip, revealing skin that was turning red and viens standing out due to the transformation. Bridgette's heart started to pound as best as it could against the force relaxing drug. Fear was swelling within her and daring to pull her under, to succumb to the fright. His pupils dilated, turning his eyes black and he bared his teeth, drool dripping from the ledge of his lower lip. The uniform was well ripped by now and the guard gave a roar loud enough to make her teeth rattle as she was so close. Her hands pressed against the ground, trying to pull herself away, to scoot and create a distance but her body was becoming numb alarmingly fast. The guard exhaled heavily and his gaze locked on her. _Dear God, it's like a minature Hulk..._she realized as her complection paled quickly.

"Now _this_ is the pill with your blood. Much more potent and from our studies, this doesn't disappate as quickly. Created from the small splatters of blood we cleaned up from the testing rooms. Wonderful isn't it?"

The guard-Hulk roared again, lunging for her, and Bridgette screamed.

"That reminds me. I'd like to do some testing in regards to your voice. Yes, that would be very interesting..."

* * *

**REVIEW! It's been a bit of a wait, I know, work's been crazy along with my scheduling. Anywho, I hope you readers enjoyed this! Your thoughts would be lovely as always! Little bit of sad-drama from the Avengers, Tony's snarky comments, and some bad guy drama with Bridgette!**

**I hope you enjoy!**

**Also! A shout out to the lovely DarkKitsunaAkina!**

**( DarkKitsunaAkina . deviantart . com ) has offered to draw a comic of Bridgette's storyline! She already has a sketch piece and a screen shot with Tony and Bridgette chatting. Go check it out! I'm very excited to see her work!**


	7. Chapter 7

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Seven**

_ Someone was following her. She could feel their eyes on her, making her hair stand on end. The city was busy, crowds of people were everywhere so there was the chance she was over reacting. But she wasn't. She knew what it felt like to be observed, to be watched. Someone was watching her and she knew it. _

_ She continued to walk through the city, blue eyes flickering to the different details. The buildings were towering. People didn't talk to each other, they kept to themselves it seemed like. The traffic was loud, crowded with cars. Noise was a constant factor. Smoke hung in the air and wind cut around buildings, tangling her long hair. She was dressed in the clothing she had lifted from the hospital. Maybe from another patient, she didn't know. The jeans were a bit long but they fit her waist comfortably, rolled so her feet wouldn't trip and the green long sleeved shirt was loose on her frame and she didn't understand the word "Aeropostale". Was postal services that traveled by air? If so, why was it on this shirt? Is that how the shirt was delievered? The shoes were loose too but she had the laces pulled as tight as they could._

_ Her ears perked at a perculiar shift, like the sound one would make jumping onto a landing. She looked over her shoulder and saw nothing, the crowd encouraging her to keep her pace. No one looked at her, they kept their heads down. She must have looked normal to them. It seemed that no one cared about her stiff posture, her wide and alert eyes and the fact that she was ready to sprint at a moment's notice. Her stomach grumbled and she placed her hand against her flat stomach to silence it. She couldn't recall when she last ate. It would be helpful to find food. Perhaps a market?_

_ She whipped around again, hearing the same sound of a person on metal. Nothing revealed itself to her and she huffed. She knew that someone was there. Lengthening her stride, she took the next turn, finding herself in some kind of alley. It was dim, caught in the shade between two buildings and there were trashcans overfilled with plastic black bags. Bridgette took a breath and folded her arms, steadying her stance. She was not going to play someone else's game. Not again._

_ "You're pretty quick there, toots," came a voice. Bridgette turned and looked up to see a man in red looking down at her from a fire escape. Her eyes narrowed. Man. Well trained. Mercenary, most likely. American. Speaks English. Unfamiliar jargon "toots"._

_ "_Ja_," she answered. He jumped down the next level. She could hear the teasing smirk in his voice despite the fact that his face was covered in a full mask._

_ "_German girl_?" he answered in her language. She was taken aback. There was a faint tug at the corner of her mouth. A smile, maybe?_

_ "You speak German?" she asked, switching to English. She didn't know what his language boundaries were._

_ "Sure do!" A pair of katanas, strapped to his back. Definately mercenary. "I'm the Merc with a Mouth, and I can talk in any language I need to. Handy when tryin' to get lucky with you lady folk." He was on the ground now, at her level. He was graciously taller than her, bigger too. If she was a normal girl maybe she would have been scared. She was Bridgette Erskine. She wasn't scared. Not anymore._

_ "Well, not that it isn't fascinating chatting with you, doll, but I really ought to get to work," he decided, pulling the blades from their sheaths. Bridgette didn't move but she did unfold her arms, letting them hang at her sides._

_ "You are here to kill me, correct?" she asked. It was rhetorical, she knew he was here to kill her. For Hydra._

_ "That's my job, sweetheart." He tilted his head to the side, studying her. "Too bad though. Might've scored with you."_

_ "It won't work," she warned._

_ "Don't worry. It'll be nice and clean. Just got this dry-cleaned," he joked, gesturing to his outfit. "You won't feel a thing though, too bad because I've got a great cut-"_

_ "Are you fond of those swords?" she interrupted. This seemed to distract the mercenary._

_ "Of course. Can't you see?" He gave them an expert twirl. "They're gorgeous."_

_ "I advise against using them against me. I suppose you could try a gun but that won't work either," she reported. _

_ The bullet hit her forehead, rebounding away into the building to the left. He had drawn the gun so fast it was almost impossible to follow him. So he took her up on her offer. Next, her chest where the fate was the same. Her mouth moved again, the smile sensation so foriegn to her. The man in red was in front of her now, blade to her neck. She could feel him applying pressure and her skin held strong, refusing to break._

_ "Careful," she warned. "Your toy might break."_

_ "Would ya look at that," he laughed. He sheathed one of his swords. "Y'know, those Hydra pricks warned me about you. That you'd be my most difficult target."_

_ "I'm sure they did," she nodded. "I'm their best...patient. And I am __**not **__going back there, Merc with a Mouth."_

_ There was a moment of silence as the two stared, Bridgette unable to guage his true expression due to his mask while she stayed stern. He stepped closer, invading her personal space and she saw his arm move and she closed her eyes, expecting a strike._

_ "The name's Deadpool."_

_ There was a swift movement, his blade swinging high and she felt the weight of her long hair drop. He held the length of russet hair for her to see._

_ "Don't like doctors, myself. Might want to change your look if you want them off your scent, babe."_

_ There. She smiled._

* * *

The ride to Germany was an awkward one at best. The silence was almost stiffling but somehow Tony managed to keep up a light chatter, whether it was harrassing Clint for his sunburn or questioning Natasha about her love life. Agent Barton was in control of the flight and was thoroughly enjoying hearing the two argue back and forth. There was barely a pause as they debated and he smirked at their choice of topic.

"-Anyone in particular-"

"-Love is for children, Stark-"

"-Okay, so what if you "like-like" someone?"

"-I am not having this conversation with you-"

"-Will you tell me if I guess correctly?"

"I'm not telling you anything of the sort."

"Well, obviously it's someone you work with-"

"-This is ridiculous-"

"-It's not Fury, because only god knows how old he is and that eyepatch is distracting. Unless you're into that, of course-"

"-You know that I am fully capable of throwing you off this jet and you can walk the rest of the way, don't you?"

"Dully noted. Who else? Not a techie from the helicarrier, if anything I bet you find them annoying-"

"-And when exactly did you become an expert on me, by chance?"

"Well, it's not like you have a facebook, so I just hacked SHIELD. Again."

"You should be arrested."

"I know. Being this attractive, wealthy and witty _has_ to be a felony."

Steve Rogers looked over at the doctor sitting beside him, ignoring the exchange of words between Natasha and Tony. Bruce was leaning forward, elbows on his knees and he kept his eyes closed. He could hear him taking deep breaths and slow exhales, fingers laced together tightly. The Captain saw his tense posture, there wasn't a muscle relaxed. He knew what it felt like. His gloved hands were constantly finding themselves locked in a fist position, ready to strike. He was prepared to jump at a second's notice, almost begging for something or someone to challenge him so he could let off some steam. The gym at Stark Towers had already taken a loss as he pounded his share of punching bags beyond their use. His jaw was tightly clenched and his own stature rigid, spine soldier straight with his fists on his lap. He took a deep breath before quietly speaking to the doctor.

"She's going to be okay. We're going to get her." Bruce flinched but didn't look up at the Captain, keeping his eyes closed.

"Yeah," he answered, barely a whisper. Steve could feel his nerves tingle, bothered by the reaction. Like he didn't believe it.

"You don't think so?" he asked. Bruce kept his eyes closed, focusing on his breathing and not answering. This proceeded to irritate the blonde. How could he sit there and not be irreversibly determined to go save her? Didn't he want to? Or was he just so pessimistic to think that they wouldn't be able to get to her in time? Steve knew from his own personal experience that people could be saved. He had refused to listen to the Colonel Philips when he said that Bucky was killed in action. He took it upon himself to go into deep enemy territory to take back his friend. Going to save Bridgette was the same thing, in fact, the very same enemy. They were going into Hydra territory and they were going to take back their teammate and friend. Captain America wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Bruce still hadn't answered the Captain and Steve forced his gaze forward again, taking another breath.

"She believes in you. Even if you don't." Banner sighed, bringing his hand free to pinch the bridge of his nose, forcing another deep breath.

"I-if you don't mind, Cap...I'd rather _not _talk about her..." he mumbled.

"Fine," agreed Steve. "Then I'll talk about her." The truth was, he was a bit upset that the doctor was trying to take Bridgette out of the equation. She was the equation. The variables were all her. Everything was revolving around her. It was all her.

"Did you know she checked her phone all the time? She was checking to see if you had called." Still the doctor didn't answer. So, Steve continued.

"She referenced you, I don't think she realized she was doing it. Making comments about how you would react, or the next time she was going to prank you." Nothing but the steady breathing. Fine, he would keep on.

"She tuned in to Stark's interviews, but I think she was hoping that you would be there."

"Stop...stop it..." he muttered, brows furrowed as he kept his eyes closed.

"I just don't understand-" Bruce brought his fists down hard on his knees to gain the blonde's attention, very successfully. He turned to glare at the captain, green trying to overtake brown eyes.

"Because if I focus on her, Captain, I won't be able to _think_," he growled.

Images of her dared to overload his brain. Everything about her he could possibly remember. Her voice, that sneaky grin of hers. Blue eyes that glinted with mischief and determination. Her nonchalance. The contact she gave to him, unafraid of the other guy. Her bravery. Being able to smile at the end of the world, ready to take them down even though she was weighed down with such a heavy history herself. The simple fact that could smile so easily after everything that happened to her. A contagious grin that infected him even. The feeling of her phantom fingers pushing through his hair. There was so much of Bridgette in his mind, memory, and nerves, the ghost kisses she stole-no, gave him. It was taking every inch of his will power to not Hulk out and just smash his way to finding her. A plan of action that was becoming more inviting by the second.

The Captain nodded in understanding, holding his silence. In a roundabout way, he was satisfied with that answer.

"Preparing to land-"

"-My guess is Barton, by the way-"

"-Shut. Up. Stark."

* * *

The room was destroyed. The walls bore craters just like the floor. Red splattered against the white. Bridgette's body was limp in one of the broken pieces of the tile, russet hair fanned out about her head. Dr. Zola approached her, his black shoes tapping against the ground. The guard who had taken the red pill was dead on the other side of the room, the side effect of the girl's blood in a foriegn system. Fortunately, it wasn't an immediate reaction. The guard had, at most, a few hours in the prime form. It was enough.

His polished shoe pressed down on her shoulder, rolling her onto her back. Blurry blue eyes looked up, eyelids half open. She was still dressed in her work uniform, the white blouse was spotted with crimson, the black pencil skirt ripped up the sides, tights ruined. Zola sneered down at her, taking pleasure in hearing her wheeze. Shallow breathing, lower lip deep red with blood. The pill was a success, finally causing damage to the unbreakable Bridgette Erskine. Sure, the guard had died but that was a minor set back.

"Not so strong now, are you Patient Erskine?" he taunted. "Even you break." He gave a low laugh to himself as he left the room, door bolting shut behind him.

Her pulse was pounding in her head, entire body throbbing like she was a stereo with the volume up to max. Even when the guard pounded her and she was unable to move properly from being soaked with the relaxant. She tripped over her own feet and moved painfully slow, the guard catching her without trouble. His enlarged hand encircled her leg and she met the wall with surprising speed and force. Despite the trauma, her skin held firm. Never breaking. The guard roared and smashed her into the ground next. She could feel the air leave her body as she gasped, unable to draw breath. Twin fists drilled down on her and her bones screamed in protest, ribs creaking under his strength. She was mentally fighting back but her body wouldn't respond, the drug having seeped into her system. She needed to move, punch, do something! Yet, she was there on the floor. Useless.

What she really needed was help.

Her chest fought to lift with breath. It was like fire, her insides working to correct themselves, pushing and pulling to fix whatever the guard had damaged. The serum worked its power, mending her. Fixing her. Fixing, always fixing...

"B-Bruce..." she begged. No, she wasn't calling for the Captain like had when she was younger. Hot tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, rolling down to become lost in her hairline as she looked up at the white cealing. She was calling for who she wanted, who she needed. Her fingers twitched, a vague sense of feeling returning.

"Bruce...!"

_ Please...find me..._

* * *

**REVIEW! A little short and a bit of a filler, but don't worry, next chapter leads us into the action! So stay tuned folks!**

**Hope you enjoyed!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Eight**

The house was modest, a snug two story building with a partial low stone wall, disappearing into the ground to protect the basement most likely. The windows were dark and the door was locked, the porch veiled in dust and dirt, the old wood creaking. It was a lovely home with its cream colored siding and deep blue shutters, though now sad due to its status of neglect. The garden had shriveled to skeletons of the flowers they once were, the grass was outgrown to the point of overtaking the once-garden. The Avengers left footprints in the dust and the crunchy grass as they snooped around the perimeter.

"What a shame. Looks like it was a nice home," commented Natasha quietly. Bruce looked around the porch where an old swing remained and he gave it a slight push, lines in the grey from his fingertips. It creaked loudly and he allowed his mind to drift, picturing a young Bridgette dashing about as a child, maybe jumping onto the swing and sailing it as high as would allow her. The idea made his heart pang and he quickly squashed the thought.

_ "Hello?"_ called a voice. The team tensed and Agent Romanov's voice easily answered.

_ "Hello,"_ she greeted. The Captain and Bruce exchanged a concerned look but Agent Barton gave a reassuring wave. Romanov had this under control, she was their language specialist afterall.

_ "Do you live here?"_ asked Natasha, pointing to the old home. The older woman shook her head, gesturing to the house next door. A single story that had a few hanging flower pots on her front porch. She was a short woman with a slight build, long white hair contained to a bun at the base of her neck. She smiled and gave a wave which the team awkwardly returned.

_ "Oh no dear, I live next door!" _she chirped. Natasha nodded, looking over her shoulder to the boys.

"She's the neighbor," she translated_. "Did you know the family that lived here previously? The Erskines?" _The redhead took the advantage of the moment, hoping to unearth some information. Maybe this woman could give them some insight to the Avenger known as Ricochet.

_ "The Erskine family?" _the woman repeated. A look of recollection crossed her features and she nodded. She gave them a wave_. "Please. Come inside." _

The team followed the older woman, forming a file line to fit through her narrow door frame. Clint gave a nod to Natasha and he stepped out of the line rather than entering the home. He adjusted his bow and quiver, making his way to the Erskine house. There was a sturdy chimney on the roof which would provide decent cover and a good overview of the area. A nest. It would be best to keep watch, they were in an unknown area and they didn't know how far Hydra's fingers extended here.

_ "My name is Diana Vaubadon,"_ she introduced. _"Would you like some tea?" _

"Her name's Diana Vaubadon," translated the Russian_. "No thanks, we're fine."_ She nodded, fluttering about her small home.

_ "Please, have a seat,"_ she offered. The team looked at each other and Natasha took a seat smoothly in the armchair while the boys were careful about where they placed themselves. The furniture was delicate, the pillows frilly and Steve was rather worried that his weight collective with Tony and Bruce would snap the piece in half. Diana returned with a cup of steaming hot tea and a small tray of cookies which she offered with a small gesture and Steve and Bruce turned down politely. Tony, on the other hand, reached forward and picked up the tiny cookie. Cap gave him an elbow to the rib, making him sputter, accidently knocking over the Iron Man briefcase he brought with him.

"What?" yelped the Iron Man, tossing the cookie into his mouth. "She offered!"

"It's just polite not to," muttered Steve.

"And it's rude not to accept, Cap," he shot back. "And I'm starving."

_ "I'm sorry, I don't speak any English,"_ she apologized with a small frown.

_ "It's quite all right. I'm much better with words than they are,"_ Natasha smiled which caused the woman to cover her mouth with a delicate laugh. The redhead turned to the others. "She doesn't speak English."

"Then you can speak for us," stated the Captain.

"Getting information's what I do best, Cap," she smirked. Natasha turned to the woman who was patiently waiting for them to finish their English conversation.

_ "So, how long have you lived here, Miss Vaubadon?"_ she asked.

_ "Oh, I've lived here a long time, dear,"_ she smiled_. "A very long time. This was the first home my husband and I bought. Been here ever since. It's a lovely quiet place."_

"_Yes, it is very lovely,"_ she agreed. _"Do you remember who used to live next door? It seems like it's been awhile since anyone's lived there-"_

_ "The Erskine family,"_ she interrupted, a look of concern. _"They were the last to live in that house. The poor things..."_ Red brows furrowed.

_"What do you mean?" _she asked_. "Did something...happen?"_ She nodded, setting her tea down on the saucer, a light click from the china.

_ "The Erskines were a lovely family, simply lovely, you must know that. Michael and Janett were their names and they had two children. Yes, Marcus and Bridgette were the two. Beautiful children, they were so nice and sweet..."_ she trailed. Natasha gave a sympathetic nod, encouraging her to continue.

_ "Can you tell me anything else about them? About the doctor or Bridgette?"_ she asked.

_ "Well, Michael was a scientist. He was very, very bright, mind you. He worked somewhere up in the government's science division I believe,"_ she recalled_. "Janett was an artist, my goodness she painted the most beautiful pieces like you wouldn't believe."_ Natasha gave a small smile, allowing Diana to think back on these happy times, instead of interrupting and tricking her to sticking to the questions like she normally would have on a mission.

_ "Oh yes, you were asking about Bridgette. Are you a friend of hers?" _she asked.

_"Yes, we all are,"_ answered Natasha, gesturing to the boys. The Russian caught sight of Bruce, who seemed to be studying the two women, his highly intelligent brain trying to break down and understand their conversation. She gave a smirk. _"In fact, the man on the far end is her boyfriend."_

_"My goodness, is he really?"_ she smiled, clapping her hands together cheerfully. The woman took a look at Bruce who seemed to fidget under her gaze, opting to remove his glasses. She gave a soft smile. _"He seems very kind."_

Agent Romanov gave a smile of her own, a little sneaky with the undertone of sincerity_. "He's something of...a gentle giant with her, so to say."_

_ "He's very lucky to have her. Bridgette was always a good girl,"_ she recalled._ "It's a shame Marcus isn't with us anymore, he would've have given him a run for his money, to be with his little sister!"_ she laughed. The Russian laughed along, playing her role perfectly. Not too forceful but not too soft to be pushed over either.

_ "Did something happen to her brother? She doesn't talk about her family too much."_ Diana nodded sympathetically, stirring her tea absentmindedly, not really drinking.

_ "I'm not surprised, dear. Bridgette wasn't very old when it happen but I suppose she does remember..."_

_ "Remember?"_

The woman nodded_. "There was an accident in her father's lab, which was in the house's basement, when she was very young. The authorities say that there must've been some type of radiation accident," she waved her hand dismissively, like she didn't quite believe it. "Whatever the accident was, it killed Dr. Erskine and Bridgette's older brother Marcus."_ She paused to take a breath, pressing a napkin to her lips and inhaling deeply before continuing.

_ "It was terrible to listen to, just terrible..."_

_ "To listen to what?" _encouraged Natasha, brow furrowed in concern. She dabbed at the corners of her eyes, catching the moisture before it could fall.

_ "To listen to her cry, dear. To hear such a little girl cry for her father and brother. I could hear her, right here in this room, especially if her window was open. She was so young, she didn't think that anyone would hear her probably. She loved them both something fierce, you know. Hardly went anywhere without her brother and was always snooping into her father's work. She and her mother maybe stayed a week more before flying over to the States to stay with Janett's parents. In order to recover, of course, but I haven't seen either of them since. No note or anything and I think about them from time to time, wondering how they are. I'm very happy to meet you all, even if the boys can't understand me,"_ she half chuckled. Natasha nodded, placing her hand over the older woman's.

_ "It's very nice to meet you too," _she said sincerely_. "We know Bridgette misses you."_ Diana gave a small smile, eyes daring to tear up again.

_ "Why isn't she with you? Is she in town? Did she come back for her birthday?"_ she asked, hopeful. The agent thought quickly, spinning together a story like a spider spins a web.

_ "She's back in New York, she couldn't get work off for her birthday. We were actually hoping to bring her back something from her home to surprise her," _she lied smoothly. None of them knew that her birthday was coming up, it was a small fact on her file. Nothing more than a speck compared to the sea of information her file contained. The woman's eyes brightened and she tapped the Russian's hand.

_ "I know just the thing!"_ she chirped. She rose from her chair and hobbled off to a different portion of the house, allowing the spy a breath of a moment to give an explanation to the boys. No new information yet, just another version of the story they already knew. Diana came back, holding a picture frame in her hand. Gently, she held it out to the SHIELD girl who accepted it.

_ "Here. Take this to her," _Diana insisted.

The wooden frame was old and a little worn, but the glass kept the photograph safe. It was a snapshot of a little Bridgette in the arms of her big older brother, parents standing on either side while the four stood on the steps of their house. The paint on the shutters were fresh, the flowers were thriving and the grass was a lush green. Natasha felt a small pain. They were all so happy. So honest to goodness happy that it just made Bridgette's life all the more unfair. How did Bridgette smile? With all of this on her shoulders, she should be so far gone in misery. Yet, she smiled just as brightly as the young girl in the picture. The redhead passed the picture on to the boys who each took their turn with it, similar thoughts running through their minds. Not fair. Not fair. Not fair.

_ "Are you certain?"_ asked Natasha, to be sure. It seemed as though the woman was very fond of the momento. Diana nodded. The clouds outside began to darken and gather, the tell tale signs of a storm approaching. Rather quickly, Steve Rogers noted oddly.

_ "She needs it much more than I do, dear,"_ she reassured. Natasha nodded again.

_ "One more question and we will be out of your way_," she teased and the woman smiled.

_ "It's no problem at all. I don't get very many guests nowadays, even if they are as quiet as your friends,"_ she laughed.

_ "Do you know where Dr. Erskine used to work, by chance?" _Diana had to pause and think back, going through years of information.

_"If I'm correct, I believe he used to work over in Diskenth. It a small city, maybe fifty miles north. I remember that Bridgette and Marcus used to spend the day with me when the doctor and Janett had to go for work or an art showing in the city. I'm afraid it's deserted now. They cleared it out after the accident with Dr. Erskine. Though the authority assured me that the accident was well contain, none got outside to my house,"_ she added with a small laugh.

Red curly hair bounced again with the nod. _"Thank you, Miss Vaubadon. Thank you so much for your time and answering our questions. We will be out of your way now,"_ thanked Natasha, getting to her feet. Diana rose to her own as did the boys, sensing that the conversation was coming to a close.

_ "Oh no, thank you. It was so nice to meet Bridgette's friends," _she looked over to Bruce and placed a soft withered hand on his arm, making him tense_. "And it was nice to meet you too, Bridgette's boyfriend,"_ she laughed.

_ "His name is Bruce Banner,"_ clarified Natasha. Diana nodded, examining the doctor again. There was a crackle of lightning outside, a low tremor of thunder.

_ "Bruce Banner. Bridgette and Bruce. That has a very nice ring to it, no?" _she giggled. Bruce gave a weak smile, unsure of what the woman was saying. She gave his arm a pat, smiling up at him. _"Now, you take care of my Bridgette, Bruce Banner or you'll have this old woman to worry about."_ Banner looked over to Natasha for help and she nodded.

"Say, Yes. I promise."

He nodded, looking back to Diana. "Yes, I promise."

"_He promises_," translated Romanov_. "He'll take good care of her."_

Diana noded, satisfied_. "Good to know. Now you have a safe journey. It looks like it may rain, so please get home quickly!"_

_"We'll do our best," _smiled Natasha. The team gave a wave as they exited the small house, all polite smiles and pleasantries. When Diana closed the door, they shifted directions and headed to where they had hidden their jet, the mirror shield making it look invisible. The clouds were still heavy over head, daring to release buckets of cold rain. Lightning staggered across the sky and thunder growled.

"Well, I'll be damned," laughed Iron Man, who was in the lead.

A tall blonde man, donned in a red cape with exceptional muscle mass was standing before them, next to the hidden transportation device. The hammer clenched tightly in his hand as he regarded them. The defensive edge left him but he stood tall, battle ready as always though much more composed. The god of thunder himself.

"Thor? What brings you to Earth?" asked Steve, taking the first step in offering his hand in a handshake. The god returned the gesture, understanding that it was civil and a sign of familiarity.

"Heimdall has called my attention to Midgard. As I understand, Lady Smith has been taken?" he asked for clarification. Clint joined them, descending from his perch, bow strapped across his body again.

"Kidnapped. By an organization called Hydra. They kidnapped her once before," he explained. Short, sweet, to the point. Thor gave a solemn nod in understanding.

"I am here to help," he offered. "What is our move?"

"We go to Diskenth," decided Natasha. "Diana said it was cleared out due to radiation so it'd be the perfect location for a hideout. No one to snoop around."

"And I love a good snoop," commented Stark, streatching his arms overhead. "Showing up where I'm not supposed to be is something of a talent of mine, if I do say so myself."

Bruce stepped aboard the jet, taking his seat like before, Steve Rogers beside him again. His eyes closed as the engine started and the machine took off. He hoped the Captain left him alone this time because he really didn't want to add something that could be the other guy's asset in breaking free. He held the frame in his hand, glancing down at it every now and again. The little Bridgette would look up at him, toward the camera lense and give a big toothy grin, happy as could be. It gave him an echo of Bridgette smiling at him and he had to close his eyes again.

The flight wasn't very long it seemed like, with the machine able to travel high speeds, it wasn't exactly surprising. What was strange was that Tony was the one to tell everyone to shut up. Not that anyone was particularly loud. The Captain and Thor whispering in hushed voices and Barton and Romanov barely exchanging words.

"Shh!" he said again, using a hand to wave them quiet. "Jarvis, can you focus in on that?"

_"Just a moment, sir,"_ said the computer butler. The sound turned up a few notches and a tune could be heard. After listening a beat, Tony had to let loose a laugh, which sounded twice as loud in the deathly silent jet.

"I don't believe it," he laughed, typing away at the screen.

"Don't believe what, Stark?" asked Natasha. He looked over at the rest of them, victorious grin obvious.

"Can't you hear her?" he asked. When no one answered. "It's Journey." He tapped the screen with a huff and the volume increased.

_ "...And some are born to sing the blues...While the movie never ends, it goes on and on..."_

"I don't believe it," gasped the Captain. Tony laughed again.

"She's singing Journey! Of all songs, I mean, it's a little cliche' but hey, she's giving us a big, loud neon sign. We've found her."

_Bridgette_. The Hulk thrummed within him, fighting to get free, brown eyes long gone to green.

* * *

**REVIEW! Sorry, having a little Internet connection issues here. We had to have a little more background, filler stuff this chapter but hey, at least we're getting somewhere! Next chapter we'll see how Bridgette got her song out, but I really wanted to give you guys this chapter after patiently waiting and putting up with me. **

** Your reviews are fantastic as always and I love all of them! Be sure to check out ****DarkKistunaAkina ****on ****Deviantart ****for the comic!**

***Diskenth-Totally fictional. I made it up, it does not exist. Maybe somewhere out in our big world it does, but not in the manner I am using for this story, lol.**

**Hope you enjoyed! Next chapter: Bridgette!**


	9. Chapter 9

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Nine**

The guards ripped her from the small white cot of a bed, a task much easier now than before when she was young and slept beneath the bed and they had to drag her out by her heels. Their hands wrapped around her arms, lifting her off her feet, toes skimming the floor. Her head was bowed, body exhausted and not responding as quickly as she would like. She had gone a few more rounds with the enhanced guards, a variety of white pills and red pills.

"Where are we off to this time, boys? Another date?" she snarked. The didn't answer, as per protocol. Apparently they were not allowed to speak to her. Just in case she managed to talk her way out.

Each time was more or less of the same. They would be amazing with their newfound strength and speed, hardly able to control the power. They would focus in on the girl and charge. She would then grapple with the soldier version of her own genetics. Punches would be exchanged and she would somehow gain the upper hand, slipping them into a suffocating headlock or flipping them onto their back, that would be when the supervising guards would dose her with the relaxant. The drugs seeped into her system faster each time and her grip on reality would become looser. She didn't know if they were becoming stronger with the dosage or if she was becoming weaker. She perferred to think of the first option.

The Hulk-guard would proceed to smash her into the ground. Her limbs would feel like they were constructed out of water and she couldn't move in time. Hand reaching for a broken piece of tile to smash into the guard's head a few heartbeats too slow, never really reaching it in time. Being thrown around like a rag doll became dull after a few healthy rounds. The drugs made her mind a little loopy as well. The room would sway and her balance would be compromised, sending her to the floor. Easy prey for the guard. Though the sessions didn't last too long. Her blood was luckily toxic to foriegner bodies, the guards dropped like flies. The recepiants of the pills constructed from her tears lasted a bit longer, but they weren't as powerful as the ones who ingested her blood. Those were the ones she hated the most.

Maybe because they were the perfect personification of her power. What the serum did to her, what she truly was. A monster in the skin of a young woman. Superhuman strength, impressive speed and reflexes, the ability to withstand any attack. Her unbreakable armor. She wasn't a soldier like Captain America. She didn't have an "other guy" to come out and protect her like Bruce. She was just the result of an experiment gone wrong. The serum was meant for her brother, measured and tailored to him specifically. When it entered her body instead, it freaked out. All that massive power bouncing around in the body of a little girl. Not the fully developed stature of her brother. The serum didn't know what to do and so it created her armor. At least, that was her own personal idea of how she came to be.

The guards released her when they entered the new room and they took their stations at the opposit ends of the room. Bridgette smirked and folded her arms, the medicated bracelet was still tampered with, the liquid not making contact with her skin. Her feet were evenly spaced apart, equally dividing her weight so to remain steady. She was dressed in her work uniform, the edges ruined, speckled in blood, heels broken and discarded, tights nothing more than rags.

Dr. Zola entered the room next and Bridgette smirked.

"And how are you today, Patient Erskine?" he asked good naturedly. Like he was a real doctor and she was just a normal patient.

"Smashing," she answered, tone painfully sarcastic. He nodded, jotting a few notes down on his clipboard.

"Good, good," he agreed. "Now today we are-"

"-Going to test vocals. I remember." He raised a brow in interest and she mimicked the expression, smirking.

"Yes. I remember. I'm rather smart like that."

"Well, that's good. Now, we have the speakers set up throughout the base and I will be monitoring all staff. Their vitals and bodily rates. To see how your voice affects them rather than products of your body like your blood and tears. Should be fun, no?" he laughed.

Bridgette gave a breath of a laugh. "How about we try my idea first?"

"Your idea?" he repeated, eyebrows raised in interest. "And just what would that be, Patient Erskine?" She stood up at a little straighter, looking the doctor right in the eye.

"Instead of the usual beat-me-until-I-scream routine," she said. "Why not let me try singing first?"

"Singing?" he scoffed, shuffling his papers. She shrugged.

"Sure. Singing would give you a range of pitches and tones to work with, not to mention different volume levels," she explained. "I think it would give you a fair field of coverage. Just my opinion anyway." He seemed to think for a moment, going over the points she made. They were all very valid. Then afterward, he could still go with the scream routine. Either way, the cards were in his favor.

"Very well. We will try your way. Afterwards, mine," he decided. Bridgette kept her composure, her smirk not slipping through. Perfect. Zola made his way over to his table where he had a couple pieces of paper waiting for his notes and an old fashioned microphone stationed beside it. He was originally going to keep it nearby so to record her screams, but instead he moved it so it was before the girl. With the medication bracelet, she shouldn't be able to move that well. Deiter returned to his seat and gestured to the patient, flipping a few switches on his side of the room, monitors ready.

"Whenever you are ready, Patient Erskine. The spotlight is on you, so to speak."

She nodded, russet hair waving and she gripped the stand with her right hand to stay steady.

"Testing, testing, one, two, three," she tried. Her voice echoed throughout the building easily. The walls were not in any way soundproof and her voice reverberated with no problem whatsoever.

Perfect.

She cleared her throat, quickly deciding on a song. A song that was easy to recall, that she knew all the words to, that she could carry its tune. She smirked when she made her selection.

_ "__Just a small town girl, livin' in a lonely world, She took the midnight train goin' anywhere. Just a city boy, born and raised in south Detroit, He took the midnight train goin' anywhere."_Her voice was even carrying throughout the building.

_"A singer in a smokey room, A smell of wine and cheap perfume. For a smile they can share the night. It goes on and on and on and on."_Now her voice was lifting in volume and she was starting to tap her heel, recalling the rhythm.

_ "Strangers waiting, up and down the boulevard. Their shadows searching in the night. Streetlights people, living just to find emotion. Hiding, somewhere in the night,"_she held out the note, voice starting to bounce around now. She was being loud on purpose. She was being louder than necessary to sing the song. She needed to be loud. Needed her voice to be loud enough to push past Hydra's walls. She needed to be heard.

_"Working hard to get my fill, Everybody wants a thrill. Payin' anything to roll the dice, Just one more time."_ Blue eyes were sure to lock on the doctor for the next part. He started to appear concerned, noticing how loud she was being.

_ "Some will win, some will lose. Some were born to sing the blues. Oh, the movie never ends  
It goes on and on and on and on."_Now she was starting to sway with the tune, voice echoing now.

"This is enough, Patient Erskine. Cease this nonsense!" Dr. Zola snapped, hands slamming down on his desk. Of course, she continued, vehemetely loud now.

_ "Don't stop believin'. Hold on to the feelin'. Streetlights people." _Zola motioned for the guards to advance, to take her away from the microphone.

_ "Don't stop believin'. Hold on. Streetlight people."_They lunged and she used the microphone stand to strike each of them down. For the final bit, she sang as loud as she possibly could,

_ "Don't stop believin'. Hold on to the feelin'. Streetlights people!"_

With the guards out cold, Bridgette stood aggressively, mike stand in her hand as a substitue for her much perferred SHIELD weapon. Now that she was quiet, they could clearly hear the rumbling of a large machine, most likely overhead and a type of transportation if she was going to bet her money.

"What is that?" demanded Zola. She allowed her grin to resurface and her gaze claimed its trademark glint.

"_That,_ Dr. Zola,would be my ride." Sprinting, she rushed to the door, punching in the guard's code, which she had observed while overplaying her drugged state. The door swished opened and she dashed away, gone from the doctor.

"No!" he yelled, slamming the desk again. Eyes blazing, he glared at the doorway. "Not again, Erskine. You will not get away from me again...!" He reached into his coat, pulling out the vial that clinked with the red pills. He paused to considered the repercussions for only a heartbeat before tossing back the vial, all remaining crimson pills pouring into his system.

The glass crunched in his fist as the transformation occurred rapidly. His muscles exploded in size and he grew in height with incredible speed, skin turning a vicious shade of red, viens bulging underneath. His eyes darkened, pupils unable to be identified from the iris. Teeth grinding in the intial pain of the metamorphosis and he opened his mouth wide with a ferocious roar that dared to rattle the foundation.

He was going to end Bridgette Erskine.

Bridgette felt chills run up her spine as the doctor roared. The guards tried to stop her but she knocked them aside with the stand. She still stumbled, the rush of speed a bit disorienting and she was still recovering from her last heavy dosage. Another roar rang and heavy footsteps quickly gained, only encouraging the girl to run faster, fear at being caught by the mad doctor.

Further down the hall, the white cealing caved in crashingly loud, floors above shattering due to the weight and she was greeted with another roar. There was a wall of green and the familiarity was an incredible relief, her heart actually soared. She gave a wave, ignoring the approaching footsteps. It was Bruce! They were here, they heard her! The Hulk turned and focused on her and she only grinned brighter.

"Bruce-!"

Her call was silenced when a large red hand slammed into her body from behind, sending her flying through the nearest wall and into the neighboring room.

The Hulk found Bridgette. She was running toward him, waving for him to see. It was Bridgette. Hulk took a step toward her, prepared to pull her to him and take her to the jet. The other Avengers were making their way down, Hulk made the way clear for them. Bridgette looked hurt. Blood was on her shirt. Her clothes were ruined. But Bridgette was smiling at Hulk. Happy to see Hulk. Hulk was happy to see Bridgette. Bruce would be happy too. She would be back with them. Safe with them.

He had started to reach out to her, big green hand opening to offer safety when another figure appeared. The red figure smashed Bridgette away. Disappeared into another room. Growling, Hulk turned his gaze to the red person, eyes narrowing in a harsh glare. The creature was like the Hulk. Big. Strong. Angry.

"Red...smash...Bridgette..." he growled. Zola looked over at the Hulk and disregarded him with a huff, stepping toward Bridgette's direction. Ignoring Hulk. Going to hurt Bridgette. His hands tightly clenched into fists, preparing to attack. He couldn't hear the sound Iron Man's thrusters as the rest of the team started to join him on his level. Red not ignore Hulk.

"Hulk smash Red!"

Guards were flooding the now-battlefield and Captain America fended them off with his trademark shield. They weren't anything especially strong but they were vast in number. Hydra, cut off one head and two more shall take its place. The Hulk was already roaring, taking off after a red figure. It would make the best bet that Bridgette was in that direction. He took down another guard with a punch and followed the two clashing titans, allowing the rest of the team to exterminate the foot soldiers.

Hulk roared as he tackled the red giant, the two tumbling to the ground as they fought. Steve was sure to stay out of their range, not wanting to get caught in their own battle, which looked a little personal by the way Hulk was attacking. Up ahead was Bridgette's still form, accompanied by two of the Hydra guards. They were dragging her away from the battle site and toward a strange device that was stationed on the other side of the room. Running their way, they saw him approaching and quickly dropped Bridgette into the transparent container. The final move if they needed to stop Patient Erskine. Pulling his arm back, the shield took out both men, ricocheting off the helmet of one to take out the other. His tool slipped back onto his arm and he jumped to the top of short container.

Bridgette blinked a few times, trying to gather her bearings. Blue eyes widened as a liquid started to filter into the case, which was resembling a coffin more and more as she couldn't move very well. Steve looked for a switch that would deactivate the device, but failed to find anything.

"Steve?" called Bridgette. Her hand pounded against the glass which didn't give to her strength. "Steve!"

"Hold on, Bridgette!" he reassured. "I'm going to get you out of there!" The water was starting to rise steadily now and the Captain looked at the small control pannel, trying to decipher the technology's language. He had no idea what the variety of buttons and switches control or what their purposes were meant for. He didn't want to dare press the wrong button for fear of it accelerating the process.

"Steve!" she screamed. Her fists pounded and she tried to kick as the drugged solution rose higher. Her skin was already chilled from the contact and she could practically picture her nerves beginning to shut down. Whatever the concoction was, it was their strongest yet.

Giving a yell of frustration, Steve hopped back onto the container and slammed his shield down on the lid. The shield bounced back and there wasn't a dent. Not deterred, he hit it again and again, a steady repitition. His heart thundered in his ears as he fought to break the material. It was starting to bend, but not quite give. What alarmed him most was that Bridgette's once nosy fists was now nothing more than a soft, occasional tap. The liquid was creeping over her shoulders, preparing to swallow her face and submerge her completely. He continued to beat the case, talking in between strikes.

"Hold on, Bridgette! Hold on!"

She took a deep breath as the liquid filled the remainder of the trap.

The Hulk slammed Zola into the ground, but he was on his feet again, crashing into the Hulk again. Red was strong like Hulk. Very strong. Zola smashed the Hulk into the ground, tile becoming a crater beneath him easily under the force. Red and Hulk growled at each other, becoming locked in a stalemate. The ground continued to quake and give underneath them, crater increasing in size with each passing moment.

"I...will...kill...her..." grunted Red, pushing his green equal further into the ground. Dark eyes bit in a fierce glare, challenging the statement.

"No..." No. Red would not kill Bridgette. No one would kill Bridgette. Bridgette would be safe with Hulk. With Bruce.

"Bridgette...will be...safe..." he promised. He delved into his strength and pushed harder, forcing Red back. Hulk was stronger than Red. Hulk would beat Red. To save Bridgette. With a roar, he managed to topple Zola, allowing Hulk to become the dominant fighter. He smashed Zola's face into the ground in a quick succession, knee pressed into his back to keep the enemy pinned. Zola's body began to quake, body already beginning to reject Bridgette's blood in his system. His own blood began to crawl down his chin as he hacked and wheezed. The tremors were unyielding and the Hulk took no mind of it, bringing Red into an airtight headlock. Unable to cry out in pain, Zola could feel his neck unable to fully resist the Hulk's strength, caving under his pressure.

She was going to defeat him again. That bloody Bridgette Erskine.

There was a sickening crunch as the doctor's neck snapped from the Hulk's force. Partially from the Hulk's phenominal strength and the other part from his own body shutting down due to the rejection. His rate was much faster than the other guards tested because he took so much of her blood into his body, accelerating the rate from hours to minutes it seemed like. He barely managed another wheeze before the life was lifted from his body. Dead.

Hulk dropped the doctor and rose to his full height, breathing heavily. He used the back of his hand to rub away some of his own blood that stained his mouth. Hulk beat Red. Bridgette safe now.

"Banner!" called the Captain. His voice was loud, panicked. "Bruce!"

Hulk turned around quickly at the tone. It took him a moment to focus on the case that held Bridgette and that it was full of a liquid. He didn't know what it was, whether it was water or something special, but it was bad. It was hurting her. Captain was scared. Bridgette was hurt. He took two long strides and brought his giant fists up over his head. The Captain dove out of the way, not wanting to get caught.

Hulk smash. Hulk smash box. Hulk free Bridgette. Bridgette safe.

The case shattered under his ungodly strength and the liquid poured out, creating a light gloss of the remainder of the tile. The Captain jumped forward quickly, dropping down to his knee at her side. Steve was breathing hard, worried out of his mind for the girl. Her eyes were closed. Neither Avenger heard the rest of the team enter the broken room, they stayed near the blasted wall, observing carefully. Each one hoping that everything would be all right. She had to be. She was Bridgette Smith. She was Ricochet of the Avengers.

"Bridgette?" called Steve. She didn't respond. He tugged off his glove with his teeth and placed two fingers against her neck. "Come on..." he muttered. "Come on..."

There. It was weak and feeble against his fingertips but it was there nonetheless.

"We've got a pulse!" he called back to the others. "It's weak, we've got to get her medical attention!"

Agents Barton and Romanov nodded, dashing back to the jet to get everything ready for their flight back. Iron Man and Thor approached the trio, but stopped short when Hulk shifted closer to the girl. Even the Captain took a step back as the green giant bent down and scooped up her battered frame. She was relaxed in his hold, like a small rag doll compared to his humongous form.

"We've got to get back to Stark Tower," decided Steve Rogers, looking at the others for their consent. Tony nodded.

"Best choice, Cap. We've got the green room where the big guy can cool off, along with the necessary medical needs," added the genius.

Big guy. Bridgette called Hulk "big guy". Bridgette wasn't answering. Wasn't smiling. Hulk didn't understand why she wasn't waking up. Hulk broke the box, Bridgette should be okay now. So why wasn't she waking up? Why not? The Hulk was lost in his own thoughts, not listening to Thor explain how Heimdall could get them to Stark Tower faster than the SHIELD jet. Hulk simply looked down at the girl. Her hair was pushed back away from her face due to the water, her freckles were even pale against her white skin. He couldn't hear her breathing, couldn't see her body lift with breath. Why? What was wrong? Didn't Hulk save her? Or did Red win?

There was a column of fantastic blue light and they were gone.

* * *

**REVIEW! Tadaaaa! Another chapter, in one night! Whew, little tired from this one, so I apologize for any random typos. So we get Bridgette back! But for a price...What will happen now? I hope to hear from your readers/reviewers as you have been wonderful to me throughout Bridgette's storyline and I appreciate all of you! Until next time!**

**Enjoy!**


	10. Chapter 10

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Ten**

A few days had passed. Technically, it was four days, eight hours, and twenty-seven minutes. She didn't move. She didn't even twitch. He was lucky that he could still tell when she was breathing, the rise and fall of her chest a very subtle action now. Her skin was fair, undamaged. No contusions, no lacerations. Nothing. Then again, Bridgette wasn't one to say when she was hurt and her body was not going to give her away. Her armor remained firm, refusing to show injury and rejecting needles that would hook her up to fluids that she needed. Her body did not want their help. They were able to monitor her vitals and everything was working. Her stats could have been higher to show better health, but she wasn't in any immediate danger.

Bruce Banner didn't know what to do.

In the first place, he should have never become so attached to someone. It didn't work out with Betty and she even knew who he was before the accident. She had the power to look back and remember the old Dr. Banner. Still, their relationship broke under the Hulk's pressure. Bruce didn't trust new people, that's why he constantly moved and lived in the most out-of-the-way locations. He even had a year without incident, his best record yet.

Then SHIELD crashed his way of life. Sent in the girl who wouldn't fear him. Who wouldn't even bother to read his file, but dared to find out first hand. A teasing glint in her eyes saying that she knew something that he didn't. He tried to avoid her. Tried to ignore her. She wasn't bothered and continued to approach him. Would chat with him and laugh. Giving that contagious grin of her that made him want to smile too. This girl, who would fight beside him and protect him and the other guy. He remember her hands grabbing the front of his shirt as she shouted at him. She was motivation. She was passionate. She refused to let him fall into some hole of depression and self-loathing. Dared to get rough to make sure that he understood her reasoning.

_ "You knew my name, you spoke to me, you _remembered _me! You protected me when you could have let me fall to my death! You allowed me to talk reason to you while you were in a moment of absolute rage! There is so much more to you than you're giving yourself credit for, and I just don't understand why you can't see that!"_

He shouldn't be this attached, this devoted to a girl. He shouldn't even be on this team. He's grown to care for all the Avengers, they were all his friends now. Friendship meant emotional ties and those ties were potential triggers for the Hulk. More chances for him to snap and cause masses of destruction.

_ "Bruce Banner, you are one of the strongest people I have _ever _known."_

He couldn't will himself to leave. Not this time.

Bruce leaned against the wall in the medical wing, arms folded across his chest. Bridgette was less than five feet away from him, quietly sleeping. His body was exhausted as well, which was reasonable seeing as he hadn't properly slept since...well, since Bridgette was taken. The chair looked very tempting and he pulled it over finally, taking a seat. Brown eyes looked over at the girl again. According to Tony, she could be unresponsive due to her body trying to repair itself. Trying to force out the drug Hydra had overdosed her with. Would there be permenant damages? Would she even wake? He began to nod off, eyelids growing heavy while unanswered questions swirled within his mind. She was fighting some sort of internal battle and there wasn't anything he could do but wait...

Steve Rogers passed by the infirmary again. It had been a few days since they brought Bridgette back from Germany and the atmosphere of Stark Tower was jilted somehow. The air seemed heavy, spirits were low and people were quiet. Clint and Natasha had gone back to SHIELD base to report the mission to Director Fury. Tony was busy working, Pepper harrassing him for the public obligations he had to make as he was the face of Stark Industries. He, personally, had hidden out in his particular favorite gym in the tower. Then Bruce...Bruce was still in the infirmary beside her. Steve recalled what happened after Heimdall transported them. They were battle weary, bruised, and Dr. Banner was still the Hulk. In fact, that had been the biggest concern.

The giant had been holding Bridgette, cradling her small form to his chest. He was breathing hard, still recovering from his fight with the Red beast. Bridgette was a doll next to the gamma giant, especially since she wasn't moving. It was unnerving to see her so devoid of life. Surreal since it was the polar opposite to her personality. Tony had started to approach the Hulk and he shuffled back, wanting to keep a distance.

"Hey big guy," started Tony carefully. "Let's put Bridgette down, okay?"

Hulk shook his head, holding onto her all the tighter. "No...Hulk keep Bridgette safe..."

"I understand, buddy, but Bridgette needs medical attention now," Stark tried again.

"No!" shouted Hulk, staggering back into the corner of the room. He wasn't angry and smashing things about but the team was worried that he may hurt Bridgette. Sure, she denied that the Hulk's grip hurt her, but it was better to be safe than sorry. He held onto her tightly, like a child not wanting to give up his toy. Possessive. No, it was rather that he was protective.

"Hulk keep Bridgette safe!" he defended.

"She is safe," promised Tony. "We just need to help her now. Okay, big guy? You've got to put her down. She doesn't feel well." Hulk paused for a good long moment, thinking about what the Iron Man said. He looked down at the girl, brow furrowed in concentration. Did he let her go? Hulk could protect Bridgette. But Bridgette was sick. Hulk couldn't stop sickness. He didn't want to let her go.

Tony stepped forward cautiously, offering his metal encased arms. The Hulk regarded him warily, but he knew Bruce trusted him. Slowly, very slowly he started to lower Bridgette's figure down to the waiting arms. He paused a few times and the entire team was frozen, holding their breath. After a few painfully sensative moments, the girl was in the arms of the Iron Man and Hulk no longer held her. He thought about grabbing her back, but Hulk didn't want to hurt Bridgette. Didn't want to hurt her. Hulk would not hurt Bridgette...

* * *

She was underwater. Forced beneath the surface. Whatever it was, it was smothering her. Drowning. She was drowning. That had to be it. The force filled her nose, her mouth. Her chest was tight while her lungs burned. What was going on? Where was she? Why did everything hurt? Dark fingers were sinking their hooks into her, trying to pull her down further. Her body wouldn't answer, her arms wouldn't lift, her legs wouldn't kick. What was wrong? Was this Hydra? Zola finally caged her? She tried screaming but she had no voice. She tried fighting but she had no strength.

_Let me go! Let me go!_ she begged mentally. She could feel some of her nerves light up, like electricity shooting up her fingertips. The darkness started to shift around her.

_Let... _She willed her mind to thrash, to shake off whatever was shakling her. _Me... _Pieces of the black started to crack, there was white piercing through. _Go...!_

White blazed through as her blue eyes snapped opened, gasping for air. Her chest heaved as her eyes darted about, trying to understand where she was. White was everywhere, on the walls, the cealing, surrounding her. There was a high pitched beeping sound going off rapidly. Figures surrounded her, all dressed in white doctor attire. Her breath hitched in her throat. Doctors could only mean one thing.

_ Hydra!_

Quickly, she sat up only to be tugged back by the wires and cords that were wrapped around her. Growling, she started to rip herself free, the thin cords snapping away from her skin. Panic was evident as the doctors tried to reach for her. Her skin crawled in revulsion when their skin met hers and she fought back, sending the closest medic to the ground. Her barefeet slipped on the sheets as she leapt from the bed, hitting the ground on all fours. The medics pursued her and she took down the ones closest to her, one with a punch, the other with a kick to the face. That was when she noticed that she was dressed oddly. Gray sweatpants that were clearly too big for her and a purple button shirt that dwarfed her. The shirt was left open due to the wires and patches that were previously attached to her skin, showing the front of her black bra and some of her stomach. Why was she dressed like this? Hydra was a stickler for its white patient uniforms.

"M-Mis Smith, please! We're only here to help!" begged one doctor. Breathing hard with her back to the wall, she took another look at the scene. Yes, she was in a type of medical unit. Yes, she was accompanied by a team of medically trained professionals. Some were standing while the others were attending to the ones Bridgette had disabled. There was no German in their voices either, no trace of the accent at all. They had called her "Miss Smith", not "Patient Erskine".

"Wh-where am I?" she demanded, heaving. "Who...who are you!"

"We're Mr. Stark's medical team!" explained the youngest looking member, a young man with oversized glasses. He stared at Bridgette with wide eyes, body shaking. They didn't expect her to wake up so suddenly or so violently. The young man assessed the situation quickly. Miss Smith reacted defensively, striking down those closest, perceiving them as a threat. Her stance was definitely defensive, able to slip into offense in a hair's breath. She was shaking and wide eyed, terrified and confused.

"Stark?" she repeated, eyes scanning the lot of them. "Tony?"

"Y-yes ma'am," he answered. "Y-you're at Stark Tower." Her hands pressed flat against the wall, shifting so to use it as a support as her knees threatened to give out from under her. She pressed her lips tightly together and took a deep breath through her nose. Stay calm, just stay calm. The standing doctors dared to take a step forward and she paled instantly, hair standing on end.

"Stay back!" she shouted. "Stay...stay back...!" They froze on command, unsure of how to approach her. She was unstable, violent as to defend herself, and scared out of her mind, uncertain as to if she could trust them.

There was a swoosh as the door to Bridgette's left slid open, making the entire room jump and the girl brought her fists up, ready to strike.

"I am telling you, Cap. Socializing would do wonders for your stress, or even yoga. Just something to get the stick out of your..." Tony trailed off when he entered the medical bay with the Captain. His staff was at a standstill, some still on the ground recovering, minor blood splatters. He looked to his side to see Bridgette half slumped against the wall, fists raised. Her complection was so pale, like she had seen a ghost and she was shaking badly.

"Hey, kid," greeted Tony. He stepped toward her and she moved back. "Glad to see you up-"

She shook her head, russet hair flying. "Just stay back!"

This had to be some Hydra trick, she reasoned. She was still breathing hard, eyes darting back and forth to the doctors and to the Avengers. This had to be Hydra's work. She had been trapped in that case with that drug and there was Zola and pain and she couldn't get out. Blue eyes looked to the fair haired captain who stared right back at her, expression concerned. Flashes of him interrupted her vision. Images of him slamming his shield against the lid of the case, fighting to get her out.

_ "Hold on, Bridgette! Hold on!"_

But she couldn't hold on. Whatever it was, whatever Hydra created was effective against her. It sapped her strength of body and mind. The last thing she really remembered was taking a deep breath before the liquid rose over her face. That drug had overpowered her practically instantly.

"Hey, it's all right," reassured Tony. "You're all right, kid. You're all right."

"No," she argued, voice shaking. "Prove to me that you're not Hydra...!"

Tony and Steve both looked stunned by her accusation, but she held firm, not lowering her fists. Rogers nodded in agreement followed by Stark, to her surprise.

"We can prove it," said Steve before stepping out of the room. Tony folded his arms, looking over at her with a smirk.

"So...Journey, huh?" Journey. The song she sang to get their attention. She nodded.

"Yeah..."

"You really couldn't pick anything else? How about, Black Sabbath? AC/DC? I don't know, somebody who was actually good?" he teased. There was a twitch of a smile.

"Everybody knows Journey," she answered. "You can play that song today and everybody will start singing it."

He scoffed. "Doesn't make it any less lame."

"But it got your attention, right? I thought it was...fitting," she teased back. Her fists started to lower and shoulders relax. Only Tony could have that kind of natural speaking talent for conversation and debate.

"Speaking of, how did you know we were going to be there?" he asked, curious. She shrugged.

"I didn't." He raised a brow, interested.

"Continue," he encouraged. "How did you figure your master plan?" She shrugged again, arms nearly to her sides.

"Well...I figured it would take you a little bit of time to get going. Judging from last time, it takes us awhile to gain some traction, right?"

Tony gave a snort of a laugh, remembering how he said something similar to Loki. "That's a way to put it."

"So, I gave you time to get ahold of my file. Time to go through my file. Start looking for clues in my hometown, and somehow you would end up in Diskenth. I also figured that Diskenth would be the perfect spot for Hydra as it was a former location of theirs and an abandoned city. No one around to patrol or bother them." She pauseed to regain her wind, breathing still a little uneven. "Anyway, by then I knew Hydra's next step would be to test my vocals, using the weaponry they picked up from the Chituarian's wreckage. They knew that I would be somehow affected by their technology since footage of the fighting was made public anyway. So, all I really did was offer my...ingenious plan of letting me sing. And I did. I sang really loud, like teenage-girl-with-a-hairbrush loud and tadaaaaa. There you have it."

Honestly, he was impressed, to say the least.

"You figured all of that?" he asked. "I'm impressed, kid." She shrugged, feeling a bit more comfortable the more she talked, the more she was distracted from herself. This had to be Tony, no way Hydra could induce such a hallucination.

"Well, I guessed all of that. Can't say I was certain since I kind of made it all up-"

She flinched as the door slid open again as the Captain returned, another figure at his side. Her heart pounded painfully within her chest as Bruce Banner stood before her. Her hands lowered completely and she even dared a half step forward. Hydra couldn't imagine this. They didn't know Bruce like she did. They didn't know him. Not her Bruce. He was standing before her with his wavy dark hair that had the bit of grey at the temples, the glasses tucked away in his shirt pocket, the brown eyes that were looking right at her.

"We are very much real, Bridgette," reaffirmed the Captain. The doctor had only stepped out for a minute to get a drink, and when he's summoned back it's like everything broke loose.

Bruce moved toward her, cautious. She was shaky and scared and he knew exactly what that felt like and knew not to rush her. The two simply stared at one another, unable to find words. What was he suppose to say? Hello? How's it going? Are you all right? Her blue eyes were studying him, trying to confirm that he wasn't some trick. Her lower lip quivered and he called her name, that was all he could think of to say.

"Bridgette..."

Her eyes glazed over with tears and she threw herself into his grasp, her arms wrapped around his neck in a tight embrace. He could feel her hair brush his cheek as his arms encircled her tightly, holding her body to his. The tips of her toes skimmed the floor as he lifted her with his hold as she hid her face from the others, hot tears rolling down her cheeks.

Bridgette Smith was crying.

Bruce held her close as her body shook with tears, grip unyielding. He wasn't going to let her go this time. He wasn't going to pretend like he didn't reciprocate those powerful emotions for this girl. He was going to stay by her side, Bruce Banner and the Hulk.

"You're safe now. I've got you...I've got you..."

* * *

**REVIEW! Sorry, even more internet issues here. At first, it was iffy, now the internet guy actually completely broke it so now we're waiting (for who knows what, I dunno). So, I would've published this earlier, but I'm going to have to take my laptop and creep in some wi-fi area and post it for now lol.**

**So, I was thinking that the next chapter would be an epilogue of sorts? Let me know what you think!**

**Enjoy!**


	11. Chapter 11

_**The Ricochet**_

**Chapter Eleven**

New York was rebuilt once more. The wreckage was finally gone and repaired after the Chitaurian attack. The streets were fully usable again, the cars resuming their regular traffic capacity. Sidewalks were corrected, the crowds of people flowing through the city's veins The buildings were mended, their former gleam of grandeur returning to the mile high windows. Everything was back to normal. Sunshine fell upon the famous city and everything was all right again.

The girl waited the tables, smiling and chatting with the customers as she served their drinks. She smiled as the wind tossled her short russet hair, making small talk with the patrons. Her apron was tied around her waist to protect her black skirt from potential spills, the white blouse spotless and her black framed glasses in place. A fellow waitress approached her, tapping her shoulder. She turned and the blonde, Beth, smiled brightly and Bridgette cheered, hugging her tightly. Looking around the girl, she waved to Steve Rogers who blushed under the attention.

He had asked the shy waitress to lunch, after multiple lunches of the meek girl waiting on him, trying to pluck up the nerve to ask him out herself. With Bridgette acting as his support, he took the first step and asked the girl. Of course she agreed and even dared to ask if they could go dancing and the Captain smiled, agreeing though he warned that he hadn't a clue how to dance. Checking her watch, she jumped when she saw what the time was, untying her apron quickly and Beth laughed at her uncoordinated reaction. Bridgette dashed to the back room, undoing the buttons as she moved. In a flash she was dashing out the cafe' door dressed in her straight legged jeans, dark blue razor back tanktop and tough denim jacket in her hand, messenger bag tossed across her body.

She was late for her own date at Stark Tower.

Her figure dashed through the crowd, pulling the jacket on as she ran. The wind forced her hair back and she grinned to herself. Just happy. The sound of her own heels clopping against the concrete was lost in the noise of traffic as she made toward her destination. Horns blared at her as she dared to cut the safe-crossing light a little too close and she simply used her agility to slide across the yellow hood of the taxi, with a roll of her eyes for good measure. Evading the moving people was half the fun and before she knew it, she made it.

She punched in her code and the door slid open, Jarvis issuing her a greeting which she returned. Passing past a couple of the lower training rooms, she stole a peek in an occupied training room to see Agents Romanov and Barton sparring. Clint spotted her and gave a short wave, allowing Natasha the split second chance to take him down, pinning him to the floor. The redhead looked up at her and gave a short nod, smirking. The two girls had become an odd sort of friends. Ricochet had saved her from the Hulk while the Black Widow had saved her by acting as a translator for Mrs. Vabaudon, which led the Avengers to the hidden Hydra location. They were even. No more life debts to be cleared. Now they could be friends and teammates.

Next, she took the stairs to the next level of the tower, taking the steps two at a time. A large wall window was on her left, allowing her to peek into the lab. Bruce was leaning over the tabletop, focused on the microscope he was working on. Bridgette smiled to herself and took the opportunity to slip into the lab, unnoticed. She tiptoed across the tile so to approach him from behind. He stood up a little straighter, adjusting the glasses on his nose as her arms slipped around his shoulders, her form lightly touching his back. He flinched and tried to turn around quickly, alarmed. Laughing, she allowed him to turn, arms looped around his neck. Brown eyes met blue and he relaxed, hands finding her waist comfortably. She gave her famous grin and he smiled in return, commenting on how she was late. Tempted to give a snarky answer like she usually would, she opted to pull him closer so their lips would meet instead.

Of course he was worried about being with Bridgette. It was only natural for him to think that way, after so many years of being overly aware of emotional and physical triggers to the other guy. After the Hydra incident, it became obvious that to be without her was a much greater danger. She was something Bruce and the Hulk both agreed on. He would dare to test uncharted waters with her by his side. For instance, she was leading him by the hand for their first public date. Tony and Steve were on speed dial just in case but Bridgette reassured him that everything would be all right. It was just a movie and a walk if he was feeling particularly adventurous. And if it didn't work out, they could always leave early and come back to the tower.

He smiled again as he grabbed his brown jacket, feeling her slender hand slip into his own. His fingers filled the spaces between hers and he loved how they seemed to fit together. Bruce Banner, the scientist who created the incredible Hulk. Quiet, intelligent and introverted, a man who goes out of his way to avoid stress. Bridgette Smith, the girl subject to a super soldier serum and a history so heavy it should have crushed her. Bold, brave, outspoken and daring, a woman who faced her troubles head on, never backing down. An electron and a proton, polar opposites with their negative and positive charges.

_ "Humans...They were not the cowering wretches we were promised...They stand. They are unruly, and therefore cannot be ruled...To challenge them is to court death..."_

Instead of rebounding against each other in a never ending ricochet, they were attracted. A solid element together. Bruce looked down at her as chatted about her day, able to supply the conversation well enough and he enjoyed listening to her. Smile unseen by her, he lowered himself to her level so to quiet her with a kiss.

* * *

**End...?**

* * *

**REVIEW! So, there you have it! A conclusion! For now, that wraps up Bridgette's big stories. When the next Avenger movie comes out, maybe I'll write her a story again like how I did for **_**The Girl Who Can't Be Moved**_**, if you readers would be interested, that is.**

**Hold on, don't worry, the girl who can't be moved isn't done yet! Bridgette has another piece coming up!**

_**Bannette**__**: **_

_**A series of short pieces, one shots and moments between our favorite modest scientist and sassy soldier.**_

_**Bannett**_**: credit to ****cocoa85175 ****as she is the one who coined the term!**

**So it will be a collection of fun Bruce x Bridgette pieces that take place after this chapter and could range from anywhere to anything, so I may be rating it M to be safe, wouldn't to break any FF rules lol. So if you readers/reviewers would like to see anything in specific or if you have a scene you've been dying for, send me a review/email/message and I'll see what I can do!**

**(Sequel to The Ricochet)**

**Faux**** Pas**

**_A "faux pas" is a socially improper act or remark. For example, stopping a semi-truck and Hulking out in the middle of New York traffic. A faux pas. Now, due to super-sized blunders, Banner and Smith are sent off the radar to recover and train at Charles Xavier's Institue for Gifted Youngsters. Historically? Not awesome._**

**Don't forget the comic! DarkKistunaAkina on Deviantart!**

**Thanks so much for all of your support throughout these two stories, I couldn't have done it without you! **


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